Drama unfolded at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday as the prosecution played a startling video featuring an Islamic cleric standing trial for an alleged plot to topple the government of President Bola Tinubu.
The cleric, Sheikh Abdulkadir Sani, was captured on camera telling investigators that he had explicitly cautioned the conspirators about the futility of their mission.
During the recording, Sani claimed he was approached to provide spiritual guidance and divination for the operation but told the group, “I warned them the coup would fail.”
He further revealed that he had predicted the group would be undermined by internal betrayal.
The cleric explained that he was introduced to the alleged ringleader, Col. Maaji, through a middleman identified as Sanda.
According to Sani’s recorded testimony, Sanda requested prayers to ensure the success of the coup and later asked for further spiritual intervention to prevent the very betrayal the cleric had predicted.
While Sani admitted to receiving funds, he maintained the money was strictly for prayers and charity rather than a payment for participating in a treasonable act.
He told investigators he understood a coup to be a military takeover but failed to report the plot because he was unsure of the proper authorities to contact. He was eventually apprehended after visiting the EFCC to investigate a freeze on his bank account.
Following the video presentation, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ordered a joint trial-within-trial to determine if the statements made by Sani and his five co-defendants were given voluntarily.
This ruling came after defense counsel vehemently opposed the admissibility of the evidence, alleging that the statements were extracted through coercion, oppression, and in violation of the Anti-Torture Act.
The defense team, which includes several Senior Advocates of Nigeria, argued that the defendants were denied access to legal representation during their interrogations and that the recordings did not prove the absence of physical restraint or inducement.
The six defendants, who include retired high-ranking military officers and a police inspector, are facing a 13-count charge involving treason, terrorism, and money laundering. The Federal Government alleges the group intended to storm the Presidential Villa, detain President Tinubu, and seize control of the nation’s strategic institutions.
Investigators also claim the suspects had already procured 32 vehicles to carry out the covert operation. The court has adjourned the matter until May 12 to commence the trial-within-trial.
