Court remands six coup plot suspects to DSS custody

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ordered six defendants detained in Department of State Services custody after they were charged with 13 counts of alleged terrorism linked to a coup plot.

The proceedings began at 1.46pm when the Attorney General of the Federation Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, asked the court to read out the charges to the accused.

The hearing was interrupted briefly after the third defendant told the court that his lawyer was unavailable. The sixth defendant’s lawyer then informed the court that his client only understood Arabic and Hausa. The judge waived the matter to secure an interpreter.

When court resumed at 2.18pm, all six defendants pleaded not guilty to each of the 13 charges.

The prosecution requested that the accused be placed in DSS custody and requested an expedited hearing. Most defense lawyers did not object to pre-trial detention. The first defendant’s lawyer said he would make a bail application.

The trial judge granted an expedited hearing and ordered the defendants to be held in DSS custody with access to their lawyers. He postponed the case to April 27, 2026 for trial.

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