Coup Plot: How conspirators planned to cut power to Aso Rock – Witness tells court

ABUJA — Zekeri Umoru, one of the suspected coup plotters, on Wednesday told a Federal High Court in Abuja that discussions were held on switching off electricity supply to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to aid the alleged coup against President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Umoru, a Julius Berger Nigeria Plc employee in the Maintenance Department at the Presidential Villa, spoke in video evidence played before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja. He said he warned that such an action would immediately trigger investigations and the detention of workers on duty if carried out. The 4th defendant stated this in the video while being questioned by members of the Special Investigative Panel (SIP) that first investigated the case.

Umoru alleged that Colonel Mohammed Ma’aji, the alleged coup mastermind who is currently at large, offered him money through Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim (the 3rd defendant) to recruit between 18 and 19 persons working inside the Villa. Those to be recruited included soldiers, officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) , and fellow Julius Berger staff. He also told investigators that Ma’aji allegedly said he wanted access into the Presidential Villa and could achieve it “with force,” even if those recruited from inside declined to cooperate.

Umoru further claimed that Inspector Ibrahim later demanded N100 million from Ma’aji to facilitate the operation through an ambulance route into the Villa. However, Ma’aji refused on the grounds that the amount was excessive. He said Ma’aji insisted that he could still gain access into the Presidential Villa by force, though “there would be bloodshed.” Umoru said at one point he became uncomfortable with the alleged plan and repeatedly attempted to return the money given to him, adding that he felt accessing the Presidential Villa “was not a child’s play.”

He denied ever having access to the Villa’s solar power plant, despite allegations that he planned to sabotage electricity supply within the complex. On why he failed to immediately report the alleged discussions to authorities, Umoru claimed he was discouraged by Ibrahim, who allegedly asked him to delete messages and avoid contacting Ma’aji due to an ongoing audit in their office.

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The alleged coup plot, which was uncovered in September 2025, involved far more elaborate planning than previously reported. A prosecution witness, an army officer from the Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police who was codenamed “AAA” for security reasons, testified before the same court on April 29 about the full scope of the alleged conspiracy. The witness told the court that intelligence reports linked Colonel Ma’aji to an alleged conspiracy involving serving and retired military officers, as well as former Bayelsa State governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva. He said the intelligence was assessed, found credible, and formed the basis for the investigation.

According to the witness, when Ma’aji was arrested, a Samsung Galaxy Z series phone was recovered from him. A search of his residence also yielded a jotter containing “operational plans, names and designation of ranking members of the current regime as well as officers that were to assassinate them.” The jotter also allegedly contained “political and structural changes to be made upon execution of the coup.” The witness further testified that meetings were held at Green Land Apartment and Brookville Hotel in Abuja, where participants discussed regime change, identified government officials to be assassinated, and assigned officers to carry out the plan. Hotel receipts and reservation records were recovered as evidence.

The prosecution witness also detailed substantial financial transactions linked to the alleged coup plot. Forensic analysis revealed that Purple Waves Limited was used as a conduit to sponsor the alleged coup. Bank statements showed multiple debit entries running into hundreds of millions of naira between September 19 and October 2, 2025, including N100 million, N80 million, N90 million, N70 million, and N50 million transfers. The witness said these transactions carried different narrations but were traced to funding the coup plot under investigation. He also confirmed financial links between Colonel Ma’aji, Timipre Sylva, and other defendants before the court.

The alleged coup plot first came to public attention when the federal government abruptly cancelled a planned military parade to mark Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary on October 1, 2025. Officials cited security threats, though speculation immediately linked the cancellation to a possible coup attempt. The military initially denied the reports, but in January 2026, it announced that 16 officers would be tried before a military court for attempting to oust the president. Those facing trial at the Federal High Court are civilians or retired military personnel alleged to have been part of the conspiracy.

The charges were filed by Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi, and the six defendants were arraigned on April 22, 2026, before Justice Abdulmalik on a 13-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026. Those named in the charge are: Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana (retired) as 1st defendant; Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor (retired) as 2nd defendant; Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim as 3rd defendant; Zekeri Umoru as 4th defendant; Bukar Kashim Goni as 5th defendant; and Abdulkadir Sani as 6th defendant, an Islamic cleric based in Zaria, Kaduna State.

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A former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and former Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, who is alleged to be part of the plot, is listed as being at large. Court documents suggest he fled the country before the plot was exposed. After the allegations emerged last October, Sylva denied links to a coup plot after his house was ransacked by investigators. An arrest warrant was issued for him the following month in a separate case launched by the anti-corruption agency. At the time, his spokesman said the former minister was in the UK for a medical check-up and that the allegations were politically motivated.

The defendants face charges ranging from treason and terrorism to failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing. The Federal Government alleged that the defendants, sometime in September 2025, conspired to levy war against the state to overawe President Tinubu, an offence punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code. It was further alleged that the defendants had prior knowledge of a planned treasonable act involving Colonel Ma’aji and others but failed to alert the appropriate authorities, and also failed to use reasonable endeavours to prevent the commission of the offence. All six defendants pleaded not guilty when the charges were read in court.

Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter until May 21 for the continuation of the trial-within-trial being conducted to ascertain the voluntariness or otherwise of the statements made by the six defendants. The trial-within-trial was initiated after the six defendants challenged the voluntariness of their statements, with defence lawyers arguing that their clients made the statements under duress. Defence lawyers also complained of restricted access to their clients, claiming they had been unable to meet them since September 2025, which would mean they were arrested ahead of the Independence Day parade. The prosecution has maintained that the defendants gave confessional statements voluntarily, were calm during interrogation, and were fully aware of their constitutional rights before making their statements.

In a controversial move, Justice Abdulmalik barred journalists from covering the trial on April 26. Although the prosecution made no application for a secret trial, security officers attached to the trial judge escorted journalists out of the courtroom before proceedings began. Journalists who arrived as early as 8 a.m. to secure seats were ordered to vacate them and leave immediately. When reminded that the trial of alleged coup plotters was a matter of public importance, the security officers insisted they were simply following the judge’s orders.

Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji, the alleged mastermind of the coup plot, was arrested along with other alleged accomplices and is due to go on trial at a military court along with 16 other serving officers, separate from the civilian defendants appearing before the Federal High Court. The trial is scheduled to continue on May 21, 2026, with the judge expected to rule on the admissibility of the defendants’ statements following the conclusion of the trial-within-trial. If the judge finds that the statements were made voluntarily, they will be admitted as evidence in the main trial. The Federal Government has indicated that it will continue to present witnesses and evidence, including the video testimony of Umoru and the forensic analysis of Ma’aji’s phone and jotter, as it seeks to prove the 13-count charge against the accused persons. For the six defendants who have pleaded not guilty, their legal teams are expected to continue challenging the prosecution’s evidence while seeking bail for their clients, who remain in the custody of the Department of State Services pending the determination of the case.

Coup Plot: How conspirators planned to cut power to Aso Rock – Witness tells court