Court martial of Nigerian officers over coup plot to resume in May

The court martial of three dozen Nigerian officers charged with planning to overthrow the government will resume next month, local officials said on Monday.

The court martial opened on Friday when the defendants appeared before newly sworn-in judges at a military installation in the country’s capital, Abuja.

The next sitting, on 8 May, will also be held behind closed doors, with no media access, a military spokesperson said.

The alleged coup was reportedly due to take place on 1 October 2025, during the country’s Independence Day celebrations. Instead, a parade, which the president was expected to attend, was cancelled at the last minute.

Authorities initially denied any knowledge of a coup attempt but in January, the military announced that a number of military officers would face court martial for plotting to overthrow the government.

The trial of six civilians charged with treason and terrorism for their alleged role in the plot resumed on Monday at Abuja’s Federal High Court.

They include a retired major general and a serving police inspector. All six have pleaded not guilty. A seventh suspect, former Bayelsa state governor Timipre Sylva, is accused of helping to conceal the plot and is still at large.

In the charge sheet, authorities said the six suspects “conspired with one another to levy war against the state to overawe the president of the Federal Republic.”

Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria has a long history of military takeovers, having spent much of the post-independence period under army rule after gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1960.

Civilian governance was restored in 1999 and has continued ever since.

Following the initial denial of the coup plot, President Tinubu moved to reshuffle the country’s top military leadership, a decision widely seen as part of efforts to stabilise the armed forces.