Military postpones ruling in alleged coup plot trial against Tinubu

The military has again postponed the ruling of the General Court Martial sitting over the alleged coup plot case involving some military officers accused of attempting to overthrow the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The ruling, which was earlier scheduled for Wednesday, September 30, 2026, has now been rescheduled for Monday, October 5, 2026.

In a notice issued to members of the court and other concerned parties, the military said the sitting earlier adjourned to Wednesday had been postponed.

“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 state the reason for the postponement but expressed regret over any inconvenience caused.

The latest development marks the fourth time the ruling has been deferred, further delaying a decision in the military trial.

The ruling is expected to determine the admissibility of statements allegedly obtained from some of the accused officers, following a trial-within-a-trial conducted by the court.

Defence lawyers had challenged the admission of the statements, alleging that some of the accused officers were coerced by officials of the Defence Intelligence Agency, DIA, into making or reproducing statements they said contained false information.

During the trial-within-a-trial, the defence argued that the statements did not meet legal requirements for admissibility, alleging that lawyers or witnesses selected by some of the accused officers were not present when the statements were taken.

The defence also questioned the absence of video recordings showing the officers writing their statements in the presence of their chosen witnesses, as required under relevant provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

The lawyers 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 gave contrary testimony, alleging that they were subjected to coercion, intimidation, inducement and physical abuse during their detention.

According to evidence presented before the court, some officers alleged that they were made to believe that reproducing particular statements would facilitate their release.

They further claimed that some statements had already been prepared by intelligence officials and that they were compelled to copy or sign them, despite allegedly having no knowledge of certain matters contained in the documents.

Some of the accused officers also told the court that they did not personally originate or write the statements attributed to them, alleging that they were forced to reproduce pre-written documents containing claims or admissions they considered false or unrelated to their knowledge.

The General Court Martial is presided over by Air Vice Marshal H.I. Alhaji of the Nigerian Air Force.

The proceedings are being conducted at the Scorpion Officers’ Mess in Asokoro, Abuja.

The court’s decision on the admissibility of the disputed statements is expected to determine whether the evidence can be relied upon in the ongoing proceedings.