Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered that six persons accused of plotting to overthrow the Federal Government last year be put on remand at the detention facility of the Department of State Service (DSS).
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik gave the order following a request to that effect by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, who led the federal government lawyers in the trial.
At the arraignment, all six accused persons denied the 13- count treason charges brought against them by the federal government.
Shortly after their not guilty plea was taken, Prince Fagbemi applied for the defendants’ accelerated trial, which was promptly granted by the Court along with their remand at the DSS’ custody.
Attempts by some of the lawyers to move oral applications for bail of their clients was rejected by Justice Abdulmalik who ordered them to file formal applications.
Justice Abdulmalik fixed April 27 for commencement of the trial.
She also ordered that their lawyers be allowed access to them for effective preparation of their defence.
Sunusi Musa (SAN), counsel to the renowned Islamic Cleric, Sheik Abdukadir Sani Zaria, thanked the Attorney-General for the request to remand the accused persons at the DSS’ custody.
One of the defendants, retired Major-General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, was brought to the court on a wheel-chair due to ill-health and old age.
Another, a former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, is said to be at large.
According to the 13-count charge, they are accused of plotting to levy war against the federal Republic of Nigeria, to overthrow President Bola Tinubu.
The alleged offence is punishable under section 37 (2) of the Criminal Code.
The charge was filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo.
The federal government accuses the defendants of treason, terrorism financing and failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.
The defendants allegedly “conspired with one another to levy war against the state to overthrow the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”, an offence punishable under Section 37 subsection 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 authorities.
Apart from treason, the defendants are being prosecuted for terrorism-related offences under the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022.
RN
