A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday played a video recording of the alleged confession of an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Sani Abdulkadir, in which he told investigators that he warned persons allegedly plotting a coup that the plan would fail and that those involved would eventually be exposed. The video was tendered during the continuation of trial proceedings in the alleged coup conspiracy case involving six defendants, while the fourth prosecution witness (PW4) remained in the witness box.
In the recording played before the court, Abdulkadir, identified as the sixth defendant, stated that he had known the alleged ringleader, one Colonel Maaji, for less than a year and was introduced to him through a man identified as Sanda. According to the cleric, Sanda approached him for prayers and spiritual consultation concerning an alleged plan to overthrow the government.
He told investigators that after conducting prayers and divination, he informed those involved that the operation would fail and that two persons within the group would eventually betray the plot. Abdulkadir said a message was later relayed back to him requesting additional prayers to prevent the alleged betrayal from occurring.
He further stated that money was subsequently transferred to him for prayers and charitable activities, while the names of persons allegedly involved in the operation were also sent to him for inclusion in the prayers. The cleric narrated in the video that shortly after the prayers commenced, Sanda informed him that Colonel Maaji had not been seen for four days, adding that he later learnt through media reports that arrests had been made in connection with an alleged coup plot.
Abdulkadir maintained in the recording that the money paid to him was strictly meant for prayers and not for supporting any coup arrangement.
Relatives Protest for Open Trial
Meanwhile, relatives and sympathisers of military officers standing trial over an alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest at the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja, demanding an open trial and the release of the detained suspects. The demonstrators, who converged on the ministry's entrance, chanted solidarity songs and displayed placards bearing inscriptions such as 'Tinubu Release Our Heroes,' 'Lt Col C Chima 419 Witness,' and 'AGF, Stop the Kangaroo Court Martial Now.'
Security personnel, including operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, however, prevented the protesters from gaining access to the ministry premises and restricted them to the entrance gate. The protest comes amid growing criticism over the handling of the alleged coup trial, particularly after journalists were barred last week from covering proceedings involving some of the accused officers.
Addressing journalists during the protest, the leader of the demonstrators, Justice Isimili, said many of those present were relatives of the detained officers who travelled from different parts of the country. 'Many of the people who turned out today are relatives of our heroes. Some of them came from Jos, Kano, and Sokoto to protest the continued detention of the alleged coup suspects who are our fathers, uncles, and brothers,' he said. He condemned what he described as the secretive nature of the ongoing court-martial proceedings.
