The Nigerian military has inaugurated a general court-martial to try 36 personnel accused of involvement in an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Gatekeepers News reports that the court-martial, constituted by Defence Headquarters, was inaugurated Friday at the Scorpion Mess in Asokoro, Abuja, under tight security, with proceedings held behind closed doors.
Despite prior invitations to cover the event, journalists, including accredited defence correspondents, were denied access to the venue. Security personnel also prohibited the use of mobile phones as the 36 defendants arrived in an Army Headquarters Garrison bus around 8:53 a.m.
The military trial is proceeding alongside criminal charges already filed by the Federal Government at the Federal High Court in Abuja over the same alleged plot.
On April 22, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, arraigned a separate group of suspects before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik over alleged involvement in the plot. The defendants — including retired military officers, a police inspector and civilians — pleaded not guilty to a 13-count charge bordering on treason, terrorism and money laundering.
According to the prosecution, the suspects conspired in 2025 to overthrow the government and allegedly failed to report the plot to authorities. The court ordered their remand in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), with accelerated hearing fixed for April 27.
The parallel prosecutions have triggered legal concerns, with human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) urging the Attorney-General to discontinue the military trial and consolidate all cases before the Federal High Court.
Falana cited Section 174 of the Constitution, arguing that offences such as treason and terrorism fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal High Court by virtue of Section 251.
“Courts-martial lack the jurisdiction to handle such grave constitutional offences,” Falana said, questioning the legality of trying some suspects in a civilian court while others face a military tribunal over the same allegations.
He also noted that even during military rule, coup-related cases were often handled by special tribunals rather than conventional courts-martial.
The military had earlier said the alleged coup attempt was uncovered through internal intelligence, leading to the arrests.
Families of the accused, alongside activist Omoyele Sowore, have also called for a transparent civilian-led trial, insisting the fundamental rights of the defendants must be protected.
