The Nigerian military has inaugurated a general court-martial to try 36 personnel accused of involvement in an alleged plot to overthrow the administration of Bola Tinubu.
The court-martial, constituted by the Defence Headquarters, was inaugurated on Friday at the Scorpion Mess in Asokoro, Abuja, under tight security. Proceedings were held behind closed doors, with journalists—including accredited defence correspondents—denied access to the venue.
Security operatives also prohibited the use of mobile phones to document the arrival of the accused, who were conveyed to the location in an Army Headquarters Garrison bus at about 8:53 a.m.
The military trial is running concurrently with separate criminal proceedings instituted by the Federal Government at the Federal High Court in Abuja. On April 22, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, arraigned several other suspects linked to the alleged plot before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
Those defendants, comprising retired military officers, a police inspector, and civilians, pleaded not guilty to a 13-count charge bordering on treason, terrorism, and money laundering. The prosecution alleged that the group conspired in 2025 to overthrow the government and failed to report the plot to the relevant authorities.
The court subsequently ordered their remand in the custody of the Department of State Services, with an accelerated hearing scheduled for April 27.
The parallel trials have triggered legal debate, with prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana urging the Attorney-General to discontinue the military proceedings and consolidate all cases before the Federal High Court.
Falana cited constitutional provisions, arguing that offences such as treason and terrorism fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal High Court. He questioned the rationale behind prosecuting some suspects in a civilian court while subjecting others to a military tribunal over the same allegations.
“Courts-martial lack the jurisdiction to handle such grave constitutional offences,” he said, adding that even under past military regimes, coup-related cases were typically handled by special tribunals rather than conventional courts-martial.
The military had earlier disclosed that the alleged coup plot was uncovered through internal intelligence operations, leading to the arrests of the accused personnel. Meanwhile, families of the defendants, alongside activist Omoyele Sowore, have called for a transparent, civilian-led trial to safeguard the fundamental rights of those involved.
