Journalists were Monday, ordered out of Court 6 of the Federal High Court in Abuja venue of the trial of six men accused among others, of plotting a coup to overthrow President Bola Tinubu.
Some journalists had arrived at the court after 8am and secured seats thereafter on the last row, awaiting the trial judge to come out for the day’s proceedings.
Few minutes to 9am, an official of the court announced that those who is unable to secure a seat should vacate the courtroom because the judge would not allow anyone to stand when the court starts sitting.
While those without seats, including lawyers, were making their way out of the court room, another official of the court and a security personnel attached to the court came to where journalists were sitting and asked them to stand up and exit the courtroom immediately.
When asked why, they said the presiding judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik gave them instruction not to allow journalists inside her court.
When told that the trial of the alleged coup plotters was of public importance and that there was no court order that proceedings should be conducted without media presence, the officials insisted they were acting on the judge’s instruction.
Shortly after the journalists were successfully evicted, the security official locked the door, following which the judge commenced sitting thereafter.
The six men, Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana (rtd), Captain (NN) Erasmus Ochegobia Victor (rtd), Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani, were arraigned on April 17 on a 13-count charge.
The six defendants are, in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026 were alleged to have plotted to levy war against the state to overawe the President of the country.
They are accused of offences ranging from treason and terrorism to failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.
The defendants are alleged to have “conspired with one another to levy war against the state to overawe the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” an offence punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.
The prosecution further alleged that the defendants had prior knowledge of a planned treasonable act involving one Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others but failed to alert authorities.
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