Federal High Court Plays Videos of Defendants' Interrogations in Tinubu Coup Plot Trial

A Federal High Court in Abuja played video recordings on Tuesday of two defendants denying any knowledge of an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the trial of six men on coup-related charges continued. In one recording, Zekeri Umoru, a maintenance worker at the Presidential Villa employed by Julius Berger Nigeria, stated that he was misled into believing he was dealing with a businessman involved in legitimate work.

Umoru, one of the six facing charges, said he had no knowledge of any plan to overthrow the president and would have distanced himself if aware of anything beyond business dealings.

AllAfrica reported that Umoru described how Ahmed Ibrahim, a police inspector and co-defendant attached to the Presidential Clinic in Abuja, introduced him to Mohammed Ma'aji, a serving colonel said to be the mastermind of the coup attempt exposed in September last year.

Umoru said he initially believed Ma'aji was a civilian businessman offering electrical work and received cash payments running into millions of naira from Ibrahim and Ma'aji during meetings. In the video, Umoru detailed specific payments, including between N100,000 and N120,000 given to him and others at a gathering at Tiger Bar after Ma'aji bought drinks.

8 million, followed by another N2 million the next day on 25 September 2025. Umoru said he became uncomfortable with the repeated payments and asked Ibrahim for an explanation. According to Umoru, Ibrahim told him that Ma'aji was unhappy with the state of the country and planned to sanitise the government with support from others, with discussions about using an ambulance driver to gain access to the Presidential Villa and expectations of financial reward.

Umoru admitted escorting an associate into the Presidential Villa but said he later warned him after noticing he was taking photographs. He denied any knowledge of a coup plot, repeating that he was misled. In another recording played Tuesday, Bukar Kashim Goni, an Islamic cleric and one of the defendants, denied knowledge of the coup attempt.

The recordings captured interrogations of the defendants by security operatives. H. Judge Joyce Abdulmalik led the court to observe a minute's silence in honor of the deceased before directing proceedings to continue.

At the previous hearing on Monday, the court played video recordings of interview sessions of Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, and Ahmed Ibrahim. Gana, a retired army general, denied being privy to the plot, while Victor, a retired Navy captain, and Ibrahim admitted having knowledge of the alleged plot but did not report it.

The prosecution presented the video recordings as part of its evidence before trial judge Joyce Abdulmalik.

One defendant's recording had yet to be played at the end of Tuesday's proceedings. On 22 April, the federal government arraigned Gana and five others, including Umoru, Ibrahim, Goni, Victor, and Abdulkadir Sani, on charges linked to the alleged coup plot.

The six defendants pleaded not guilty to 13 counts of treason, terrorism, failure to disclose information, and money laundering over the alleged plot against President Tinubu.

Umoru said the meetings with Ma'aji were attended by Ibrahim and another associate identified as Mr Usman. AllAfrica reported that Umoru first came into contact with persons linked to the case through Ibrahim.