The Federal Government has filed a 13-count charge before a Federal High Court in Abuja against former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, a retired Major General, a retired Naval Captain, a serving police inspector, and three others over their alleged involvement in a plot to wage war against Nigeria and commit acts of terrorism.
Those named in the charge include Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana (retd), Captain (NN) Erasmus Victor (retd), Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani. They are expected to be arraigned on Wednesday before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, while Sylva is said to be at large.
The charge, filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), alleges offences ranging from treason and terrorism to failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.
According to the prosecution, the defendants allegedly conspired in 2025 to undermine the Nigerian state and “levy war against the state to overawe the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” an offence said to be punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.
They are also accused of having prior knowledge of an alleged treasonable plan involving one Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others, but failing to report it to the authorities. The charge further states that they did not take reasonable steps to prevent the alleged offence.
In addition, the Federal Government is prosecuting the defendants under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, alleging that they conspired to commit acts of terrorism and provided support that could aid such activities. It further claims that some of the accused participated in meetings linked to activities intended to “seriously destabilize the constitutional structure of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The prosecution also alleges that the defendants suppressed intelligence that could have helped prevent terrorism, and were involved in financial transactions linked to the alleged offences.
Bukar Goni is accused of retaining N50 million suspected to be proceeds of terrorism financing, while Abdulkadir Sani allegedly retained N2 million from a similar source. Zekeri Umoru is accused of receiving N10 million in cash outside the financial system and retaining an additional N8.8 million. Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim is also alleged to have taken possession of N1 million linked to the same scheme.
All financial-related counts were brought under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The defendants deny the allegations, which remain subject to proof in court.
