Thursday, October 1, 2026 - The military has again postponed a ruling by the General Court Martial hearing the case involving military officers accused of participating in an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. The ruling, previously scheduled for Wednesday, September 30, 2026, has been moved to Monday, October 5, 2026. A notice issued to members of the court and other parties involved in the proceedings confirmed the change in date.
“The GCM sitting earlier adjourned to Wednesday, 30
September, 2026, has now been postponed to Monday, 5 October, 2026,” the notice
stated. “The new sitting is scheduled to commence at 10am at the Scorpion
Officers’ Mess, Asokoro, Abuja.” The notice, signed by Major M.U. Ardo, the
Liaison Officer, did not give a reason for the postponement but expressed
regret over any inconvenience caused.
The latest development marks the fourth time the ruling has
been deferred. The court is expected to rule on the admissibility of statements
allegedly obtained from some of the accused officers following a
trial-within-a-trial conducted to determine whether the statements were made
voluntarily and could be admitted as evidence.
Defence lawyers challenged the prosecution’s attempt to
tender the statements, alleging that some of the accused officers were coerced
by officials of the Defence Intelligence Agency into making or reproducing
statements containing information they said was false. During the
trial-within-a-trial, the defence argued that the disputed statements did not
meet the legal requirements for admissibility.
The lawyers alleged that some of the accused officers were
not allowed to have lawyers or witnesses of their choice present when the
statements were taken. They also questioned the absence of video recordings
showing the officers writing their statements in the presence of their chosen
witnesses, citing relevant provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice
Act. The defence further alleged that some of the officers were not properly
cautioned or adequately informed of their rights before making the statements.
The prosecution, however, presented evidence seeking to
establish that the statements were made voluntarily and without improper
pressure. Some of the accused officers disputed the prosecution’s position
during their testimony, alleging that they were subjected to coercion,
intimidation, inducement and physical abuse while in detention.
According to evidence presented before the court, some of
the officers alleged that they were made to believe that reproducing particular
statements would help secure their release. They further claimed that some
statements had already been prepared by intelligence officials and that they
were compelled to copy or sign the documents despite allegedly having no
knowledge of some of the matters contained in them.
Some of the accused officers also told the court that they
did not personally originate the statements attributed to them, alleging that
they were forced to reproduce pre-written documents containing claims or
admissions they considered false or outside their knowledge.
The prosecution disputes the allegations of coercion and has
sought to establish that the statements were obtained voluntarily. The General
Court Martial is presided over by Air Vice Marshal H.I. Alhaji of the Nigerian
Air Force, with proceedings being held at the Scorpion Officers’ Mess in
Asokoro, Abuja.
The court’s eventual ruling will determine whether the
disputed statements can be admitted and relied upon as evidence as the
proceedings continue. The officers are facing allegations connected to an
alleged attempt to overthrow the Tinubu administration. The allegations remain
subject to the ongoing military proceedings and have not been established by a
final judgment.
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