The Federal Government has instituted a 13-count charge before a Federal High Court in Abuja against former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, and six others over an alleged plot to wage war against Nigeria and commit acts of terrorism.
Also named in the charge are Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana (retd), Captain (NN) Erasmus Victor (retd), Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani. They are expected to be arraigned on Wednesday before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik. Authorities said Sylva is currently at large.
The charges, filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and signed by Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, include allegations of treason, terrorism, failure to disclose security intelligence, and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.
According to the prosecution, the defendants allegedly conspired in 2025 to undermine the Nigerian state. They are accused of plotting “to levy war against the state to overawe the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” an offence punishable under the Criminal Code.
The government further claimed the defendants had prior knowledge of a planned coup involving one Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others but failed to inform authorities. Prosecutors said the accused neither alerted the President nor any security agency despite being aware of the alleged plot.
In addition, the defendants are accused of failing to take steps to prevent the commission of the alleged offences.
The Federal Government is also prosecuting them under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, alleging that they conspired to commit acts capable of destabilizing Nigeria’s constitutional structure. Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru were specifically accused of attending meetings linked to terrorist activities aimed at advancing a political ideology.
The charge further alleged that the defendants provided support for terrorism and deliberately withheld intelligence that could have helped prevent such acts.
Financial transactions tied to the alleged plot also form part of the case. Bukar Goni is accused of retaining N50 million linked to terrorism financing, while Abdulkadir Sani allegedly held N2 million from similar sources. Zekeri Umoru is said to have accepted N10 million in cash outside the banking system and retained an additional N8.8 million suspected to be proceeds of terrorism financing. Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim allegedly took possession of N1 million connected to the scheme.
All financial-related allegations were filed under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The case is expected to commence with the defendants’ arraignment later this week.
