Proceedings in the court martial of officers accused of involvement in a foiled 2025 coup plot will resume on May 8.
A spokesman for Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters (DHQ) confirmed this to Agence France-Press (AFP) on Monday.
The trial stems from last year’s aborted plot in which security and intelligence agencies reportedly uncovered and disrupted plans by a network of serving officers and civilian collaborators seeking to overthrow the democratically elected government. The swift intervention led to multiple arrests and the seizure of incriminating materials, effectively neutralising what authorities described as a serious threat to national stability.
About 36 military officers are currently facing trial for their alleged roles in the conspiracy, which, if it had succeeded, would have ended more than 25 years of uninterrupted democratic governance in Africa’s most populous nation.
TheFact Daily had reported that the court martial was formally inaugurated on Friday, with all 36 officers arraigned before a newly constituted panel at a military facility in Abuja. Proceedings are being held behind closed doors, with no media access, in line with military judicial protocols. The next hearing is also expected to be conducted in camera, according to Defence Headquarters spokesman, Major General Samaila Uba.
In a related development, six civilians are standing trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja over their alleged involvement in the same plot. They have all pleaded not guilty.
