- A Federal High Court in Abuja played a video containing the alleged confession of the sixth defendant in the coup plot trial
- Defence lawyers challenged the admissibility of written and video statements, citing alleged violations of the ACJA
- Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ordered a joint trial-within-trial to determine whether the statements were voluntarily made
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday played a video recording containing the alleged confession of the sixth defendant in the ongoing trial of six persons accused of conspiring to overthrow the government of President Bola Tinubu.
The video, presented during the continuation of proceedings before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, featured Sheikh Sani Abdulkadir speaking to investigators about his alleged knowledge of the coup plot.
In the recording previewed before the court, Abdulkadir, who described himself as an Islamic cleric, stated that he had warned those allegedly involved in the plot that the operation would fail and that those behind it would eventually be exposed.
According to him, he became connected to the alleged plot through a man identified as Sanda, who reportedly approached him on behalf of one Colonel Ma’aji for spiritual prayers and divination regarding the success of the alleged coup.
Abdulkadir told investigators that after conducting prayers, he informed the group that the operation would not succeed and that two individuals would eventually betray the conspirators. He added that further requests for prayers were later made to prevent the alleged betrayal.
The cleric also claimed that money was sent to him for prayers and charity purposes, insisting the funds were not intended as payment for supporting any coup attempt. He further disclosed that names of individuals allegedly linked to the plot were forwarded to him for inclusion in the prayers.
According to the video evidence, Abdulkadir later learnt through media reports that arrests had been made over the alleged coup plot after Sanda informed him that Colonel Ma’aji had disappeared for several days.
He also explained that his eventual arrest followed a visit to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission after discovering restrictions on his bank account. Abdulkadir stated that he had attempted to withdraw funds transferred to him before learning that the account had been flagged.
The defendant maintained during the recording that he never made any statement about a coup while in EFCC custody and insisted that all statements made to investigators were voluntary. He also denied being assaulted or tortured during interrogation.
Following the playback, the prosecution attempted to tender extra-judicial statements allegedly made by the first to fifth defendants before a Special Investigation Panel and military police authorities, alongside the sixth defendant’s statement made before military police investigators.
However, lawyers representing all six defendants separately challenged the admissibility of the statements and accompanying video recordings, arguing that they were either not voluntarily made or obtained in breach of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA.
Defence counsel alleged violations relating to access to legal representation, coercion, inducement and torture, while also questioning inconsistencies between the written statements and the video recordings presented in court.
Responding, the prosecution urged the court to dismiss the objections and requested a single trial-within-trial proceeding to determine the voluntariness of all disputed statements.
In her ruling, Justice Abdulmalik ordered a joint trial-within-trial to determine the admissibility of both the written and video statements involving all six defendants.
The matter was subsequently adjourned until May 12, 2026, for continuation of proceedings.