Alleged Coup Plotters Face Treason Charges in Nigeria
In Abuja, Nigeria, six individuals faced the judiciary on Wednesday, accused of scheming to unseat Nigerian President Bola Tinubu. They are charged with treason and terrorism.
All defendants declared their innocence against the 13 charges when they were presented on Tuesday. These individuals have been detained by the country’s secret police for several months.
Among those accused are a retired major general and a current police inspector. Additionally, authorities are pursuing a seventh individual, Timipre Sylva, the former governor of Bayelsa State, who is suspected of aiding in the concealment of the coup plan and remains a fugitive.
The trial is set to resume on April 27, when the court will consider bail requests.
The official charge document claims the defendants “conspired with one another to levy war against the state to overawe the president of the Federal Republic.”
The Nigerian government initially reported thwarting a coup attempt in January, stating that several military personnel would be tried for their involvement.
If successful, the coup would have disrupted nearly 30 years of democratic governance in Nigeria, which has been in place since the nation’s return to democracy in 1999.
