Six Individuals, Including Retired Major General, Charged Over October 2025 Nigeria Coup Plot
Six individuals in Nigeria, including a retired major general and a serving police inspector, face treason charges for allegedly attempting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu in October 2025. The Attorney General filed the charges at the Federal High Court in Abuja, where the defendants are scheduled to appear before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
A seventh person, former governor and oil minister Timipre Sylva, was also named in court documents, but remains at large.
Rumours of a coup emerged in October 2025 following the abrupt cancellation of Nigeria's 65th Independence Anniversary military parade. Officials initially cited security threats, but speculation quickly linked the cancellation to a potential coup. While the military denied the suggestions, it announced in January that 16 officers would face trial before a military court for attempting to oust the President. It remains unclear whether the charges filed in the Federal High Court, which also encompass terrorism and money laundering, are in addition to these military prosecutions.
The charge sheet alleges the six defendants "conspired with one another to levy war against the state to overawe" the president. Prosecutors suggest Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma'aji led the plot, having been arrested with accomplices. Further accusations claim the defendants possessed prior knowledge of Colonel Ma'aji's "treasonable act" but failed to inform authorities, thereby suppressing intelligence.
Money-laundering allegations form a significant component of the case, with accusations of funds changing hands linked to the financing of terrorism. Under Nigerian law, treason is a serious criminal offence, carrying severe penalties, including potential life imprisonment.
Nigeria has maintained unbroken civilian rule since 1999, with the armed forces consistently reaffirming their loyalty to civilian authority and commitment to democracy.
