By Staff Reporter
Nigeria has formally established a military court to prosecute dozens of officers accused of plotting to overthrow the government, marking a decisive escalation in its response to the alleged 2025 coup attempt.
The Defence Headquarters confirmed on Friday that a General Court Martial has been inaugurated to try 36 serving military personnel facing charges of mutiny. According to spokesperson Major General Samaila Uba, the accused are alleged to have conspired in a plan aimed at toppling the current administration.
While authorities have not disclosed when the trials will conclude, they emphasized that proceedings will follow strict standards of fairness. The hearings, however, are being conducted behind closed doors. State media reports indicate that more than 30 of the accused officers were transferred to a military facility in Abuja ahead of the tribunal’s commencement. Their identities remain undisclosed.
From Denial to Acknowledgment
The government’s current stance represents a notable shift. Late last year, officials denied any knowledge of a coup attempt. That position changed in January when the military publicly acknowledged that it had disrupted a plot to overthrow the government and pledged to bring those responsible to justice.
Had the attempt succeeded, it would have abruptly ended more than two decades of uninterrupted democratic rule in Africa’s most populous nation.
Parallel Civilian Proceedings
In a separate but related development, six civilians have appeared before the Federal High Court in connection with the alleged conspiracy. Among them is retired Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana. All six pleaded not guilty to charges that include conspiring to wage war against the state and attempting to intimidate President Bola Tinubu.
Prosecutors also allege that the group failed to report plans linked to Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji, who has been identified in local media as the suspected mastermind behind the plot.
A Nation with a History of Coups
Nigeria’s political past is deeply intertwined with military rule, with several coups shaping its post-independence trajectory after gaining freedom from the United Kingdom in 1960. Civilian governance was restored in 1999 and has remained in place since.
Following the emergence of the alleged coup plot, President Tinubu undertook a reshuffle of the country’s top military leadership, a move widely interpreted as an effort to reinforce stability within the armed forces and prevent internal dissent.
