Court Rejects Torture Claims, Admits Statements of Alleged Coup Plotters

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday admitted statements and video recordings made by six alleged coup plotters during military interrogations as evidence in their ongoing trial.

The court also dismissed the defendants’ claims that the statements and recordings were obtained through torture, inducement and coercion.

In her ruling during a trial-within-trial, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik held that the Federal Government had established that the defendants voluntarily made the statements and participated in the recorded interrogations.

The judge described the allegations of duress as an afterthought, noting that the defence failed to provide evidence to substantiate claims that the military tortured or forced the defendants into making the statements.

The defendants are retired Major General Mohammed Gana, retired Navy Captain Erasmus Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Goni and Abdulkadir Sani.

The Federal Government, through the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, arraigned the six defendants on April 22 on a 13-count charge bordering on treason, terrorism, failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.

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The case is marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026.

Justice Abdulmalik had ordered a trial-within-trial on May 11 after defence counsel challenged the admissibility of the statements and video recordings tendered by the prosecution, arguing that they were not voluntarily obtained.

The objection followed the testimony of four prosecution witnesses, including an Army officer identified by the codename AAA, who tendered video recordings of the defendants’ interrogations.

Following the dismissal of the defence objections and the admission of the materials as exhibits, the judge adjourned the case until December 7 and 10 for continuation of the trial.

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