HAITIAN GANG MEMBER WHO YELLED 'F*K TRUMP, I'M NOT GOING BACK TO HAITI' HAS BEEN DEPORTED. (PHOTO)
Court admits FG’s evidence against six alleged coup plotters
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday admitted in evidence exhibits tendered by the Federal Government against six persons accused of complicity in an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration through a coup d’état.Follow Politics
Among the proof of evidence the court admitted were extrajudicial statements the defendants made before a Special Investigation Panel and military police authorities.
Those on trial over the alleged coup are retired Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana; retired Naval Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor; a serving Police Inspector, Ahmed Ibrahim; and three others: Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni and Abdulkadir Sani.
They are answering to a 13-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026.
The defendants had challenged the admissibility of their statements on the premise that they were not made voluntarily but through coercion, in violation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
The defence lawyers further contended that their clients were denied the right to legal representation during interrogation, insisting there were discrepancies between the video recordings and the defendants’ written statements.
Although the prosecution urged the court to dismiss the objections, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ordered a trial within a trial to ascertain the voluntariness of the extrajudicial statements sought to be tendered.
The issue arose while the fourth prosecution witness was testifying.
Delivering the ruling on Thursday, Justice Abdulmalik held that the defendants failed to establish their allegation that they were coerced into making confessional statements.
The court described the defendants’ claim that they spoke under duress as an afterthought, and it dismissed their allegation of torture.
It went ahead to admit both the defendants’ written statements and the video recordings as part of the proof of evidence in the matter.
Justice Abdulmalik fixed December 7 and 10 for the continuation of the hearing on the charge.
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