The choice of communication platforms in the alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu's government has become a key focus for investigators. According to exclusive investigation records obtained by Premium Times, suspects used both WhatsApp and Zangi, a lesser-known messaging app, to exchange messages. This mix of platforms has provided crucial leads in reconstructing the alleged conspiracy.
Zangi: A Privacy-First App
Zangi is not as widely used as WhatsApp, but it has built its identity around private communication. The company behind Zangi says it does not store users' communication histories on its servers, and messages and calls are protected with end-to-end encryption. This made it an attractive choice for some suspects who wanted to keep their conversations secure.
Unlike WhatsApp, Zangi does not require a mobile phone number for registration. Instead, users are assigned a private Zangi number. This feature adds another layer of anonymity, making it harder for investigators to trace communications back to individuals.
Why Ma'aji Introduced Zangi
A retired navy captain, Erasmus Victor, who is charged alongside five others with 13 counts, including treason, told investigators that the suspected mastermind, Colonel Mohammed Ma'aji, introduced him to Zangi. Mr Victor said Ma'aji considered Zangi more secure than conventional telephone calls. He downloaded the app specifically to communicate with Ma'aji and Lieutenant Colonel Shamsuddeen Bappah, whose name later featured prominently in the investigation.
Mr Victor, who served as chairman of the Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area of Rivers State between 2018 and 2021, also stated that he did not take the alleged coup plot seriously but regretted not reporting it to the authorities. His extrajudicial statement, written during interrogation, details how he was allegedly drafted to recruit financiers for the coup, a role he said he subtly avoided.
What a Phone Holds
The architecture of Zangi makes the device itself particularly important. If communication history is stored locally rather than on a central server, investigators looking for evidence could potentially be more interested in the phones used by the participants than in expecting a messaging company to produce a complete archive of conversations. The proof of evidence filed in support of the prosecution contains piles of printouts of phone messages exchanged between suspects.
End-to-end encryption is intended to prevent unauthorised parties from reading the content of messages while they are being transmitted. However, it does not erase the physical devices on which communications may be stored, nor does it automatically eliminate every piece of information surrounding a communication. A phone can contain conversations, contacts, photographs, files, notifications and other material.
Investigators' Approach
Investigators do not necessarily need to recover every sentence exchanged between two people to establish that the two were communicating. A communication trail can become meaningful when placed beside financial records, movements, meetings, witness accounts, recovered documents and other electronic evidence. That is why the choice of an encrypted application is interesting, but not necessarily decisive.
The suspects have denied wrongdoing and have challenged the admissibility of the statements obtained from them during investigations, alleging that they were extracted inappropriately. The prosecution rejected the allegation and urged the court to admit the statements as exhibits. The court has yet to rule, and all claims in the statements are subject to proof and do not amount to the guilt of anyone yet.
