The Federal Government will on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 arraign former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva alongside five others over an alleged plot to commit acts of terrorism and treason against the Nigerian state.
In the suit filed before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja, the defendants include retired Major General Mohammed Gana, retired Naval Captain Erasmus Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani.
The suit howveer notes that the former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva also listed in the charge is reportedly at large.
The five count charges, filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), accuse the defendants of offenses ranging from treason and terrorism to the failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.
The prosecution alleges that the defendants conspired in 2025 to levy war against the state to overpower the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, an offense punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.
The Federal Government further claims 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 specifically states that the defendants, knowing a treasonable act was intended, did not provide information with reasonable dispatch to either the President or a peace officer, nor did they use reasonable endeavors to prevent the commission of the offense.
Beyond treason, the defendants face terrorism-related charges under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Prosecutors allege that they conspired with one another to commit acts of terrorism within Nigeria.
Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru were specifically accused of attending meetings linked to the plot in an effort to further a political ideology intended to seriously destabilize the constitutional structure of the country.
The financial aspect of the indictment includes accusations of handling funds linked to terrorism financing in violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Bukar Kashim Goni allegedly retained ₦50 million, while Abdulkadir Sani reportedly held ₦2 million, both of which are suspected to be proceeds of terrorism financing.
Zekeri Umoru is accused of accepting a cash payment of ₦10 million outside of a financial institution and retaining an additional ₦8.8 million, while Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim was found in possession of ₦1 million linked to the same source.
As the hearing is set to commence on Wednesday, observers noted that this case represents a significant test of the government’s resolve to prosecute threats to national security.
This follows a confirmation by the Defence Headquarters last year that 16 military officers had been arrested over the alleged plot, while two others were declared at large.
The Director of Defence Information, Samaila Uba, previously stated that investigations conducted in line with military procedures uncovered the involvement of personnel in an alleged attempt to topple the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.