Timipre Sylva, 6 Others Charged with Treason over alleged Coup

The Federal government has now filed sweeping treason and terrorism charges against former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, and six alleged coup plotters; an extraordinary reversal only months after officials dismissed reports of a coup attempt as “fake news.” For months, government spokespersons insisted that rumors of a plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu were the handiwork of mischief makers. In January, when whispers of mass arrests within the military surfaced, officials waved them away as fabrications. 

 

Yet the government’s own charge sheet; now before the Federal High Court in Abuja, confirms what it once repudiated: that security agencies had been investigating a conspiracy since 2025 involving senior officers, civilians, and a politically exposed figure. The volte face is striking. What was once dismissed as online hysteria has matured into a 13 count indictment alleging treason, terrorism, intelligence suppression, and money laundering.

 

The defendants include Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana (rtd), Captain Erasmus Ochegobia (rtd), Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani. The seventh man, Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources from 2019 to 2023 and previously Governor of Bayelsa State between 2007 and 2012 is listed as at large; meaning he will most likely be tried in absentia. 

 

The accused are expected to be arraigned today, Wednesday, April 22 2026, before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik. The charge sheet, signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, a copy of which was obtained by Huhuonline.com, alleges that the group conspired to “levy war against the state” and “overawe the President”, a formulation drawn directly from Nigeria’s Criminal Code. 

 

The prosecution claims the accused had prior knowledge of a treasonable plan involving a Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji but failed to alert authorities; an omission that itself constitutes a criminal offence. They are also accused of failing to take “reasonable endeavours” to prevent the plot. Two defendants - Inspector Ibrahim and Umoru, allegedly attended meetings linked to a political ideology “capable of seriously destabilizing the constitutional structure” of Nigeria. The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) separately, has said that 16 military officers implicated in related activities will face a special court martial. 

 

The case also traces alleged terrorism financing channels: Bukar Goni: accused of retaining ₦50 million in proceeds of terrorism; Abdulkadir Sani: allegedly held ₦2 million from similar sources; Zekeri Umoru: accused of accepting ₦10 million in cash outside financial channels and retaining ₦8.8 million more, and Inspector Ibrahim: allegedly took possession of ₦1 million linked to the scheme. 

 

These counts fall under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The charges land at a time when West Africa is experiencing a resurgence of coups and attempted coups, from Mali to Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea Bissau to Benin. Nigeria, which has not suffered a successful coup since 1999, is now confronting the specter it once believed banished. 

 

Today’s arraignment will mark the first time the government publicly prosecutes what it once denied existed. The case promises to test not only the credibility of Nigeria’s security institutions but also the political steadiness of an administration already grappling with economic strain and public discontent. Whether this was a genuine conspiracy or an over zealous attempt to dramatize dissent, the courtroom, not the rumor mill, will now decide.