The Federal Government has filed a 13-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja against a retired Major General, a retired Naval Captain, a serving police inspector, and three others over their alleged involvement in a plot to wage war against Nigeria and commit acts of terrorism.
The defendants—Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana (rtd), Captain (NN) Erasmus Ochegobia Victor (rtd), Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani—are scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday, April 22, before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
Also listed in the charge, but said to be at large, is a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva.
The charge, filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, accuses the defendants of offences ranging from treason and terrorism to failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.
At the heart of the case is the allegation that the defendants conspired in 2025 to undermine the Nigerian state.
According to the charge, they “conspired with one another to levy war against the state in order to overawe the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” an offence punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.
The prosecution further alleged that the defendants had prior knowledge of a planned treasonable act involving one Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others but failed to alert the authorities.
The charge states that they, “knowing that it was intended to commit treason, did not give the information thereof with all reasonable dispatch to either the President or a peace officer.”
In a related count, the defendants were also accused of failing to take preventive steps, as they allegedly “did not use any reasonable endeavours to prevent the commission of the offence.”
Beyond treason, the Federal Government is prosecuting the defendants for terrorism-related offences under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The charge alleged that they “conspired with one another to commit an act of terrorism in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Specifically, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru are accused of participating in meetings linked to terrorist activities.
Prosecutors claim they acted “in a bid to further a political ideology that may seriously destabilize the constitutional structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The charge also accuses the defendants of providing support for terrorism, alleging that they “knowingly and indirectly rendered support” to facilitate acts of terror.
In addition, the prosecution alleged deliberate suppression of intelligence, stating that the defendants “had information which would have been of material assistance in preventing the commission of the act of terrorism but failed to disclose it to the relevant agency as soon as practicable.”
The case further traces financial transactions allegedly linked to terrorism financing, with multiple defendants accused of handling proceeds of unlawful activities.
Bukar Kashim Goni is alleged to have “indirectly retained the aggregate sum of ₦50,000,000, being part of the proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit: terrorism financing,” while Abdulkadir Sani allegedly retained ₦2,000,000 from a similar source.
Zekeri Umoru, according to the charge, “without going through a financial institution, accepted a cash payment of ₦10,000,000,” and also retained an additional ₦8,800,000 suspected to be proceeds of terrorism financing.
Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim was also accused of taking possession of ₦1,000,000 linked to the same alleged scheme.
All financial-related counts were brought under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
