Presidential villa worker says he was duped by co-suspects in alleged coup plot

Zekari Umoru, one of the defendants in the ongoing trial of six people accused of plotting a coup against President Bola Tinubu’s government, said Tuesday that he was deceived by his co-suspects.

Umoru, an employee of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc in the maintenance department of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, made the request in a video shown before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

Freedomonline reports that Umoru is the fourth defendant in the treason case.

In his video evidence, recorded during an extrajudicial statement, Umoru detailed how his connection with the conspirators began in May 2025, via Insp. Ahmed Ibrahim, also employed at the Presidential Clinic. Ibrahim introduced him to Hassan Mohammed, who Umoru later identified as “Col. Mohammed Ma’aji”, under the guise of offering him electrical work at a construction site.

Umoru initially believed that Ma’aji was a civilian businessman, especially after receiving multiple money transfers in Ma’aji’s name. He recalled several instances where he received money from Ma’aji, often in Ibrahim’s presence.

In one of their meetings, which took place at a place known as “Tiger Bar”, Ma’aji distributed money to Umoru and his associates, amounting to between ₦100,000 and ₦120,000, after buying drinks and engaging in conversations about their professions.

A more substantial transaction occurred on September 24, 2025, when Ma’aji allegedly gave Umoru a “Ghana-Must-Go” bag filled with cash. Umoru deposited the funds, which amounted to ₦8.8 million, at a branch of Zenith Bank. The next day, he and Ibrahim met Ma’aji again, during which Ma’aji handed over another ₦2 million and ordered Ibrahim to inform Umoru of the next steps.

Despite this, Umoru became uncomfortable with the constant flow of money and pressed Ibrahim for clarification. Ibrahim explained that Ma’aji was dissatisfied with the state of the country and intended to “sanitize the government”, presumably with the help of unspecified associates known as “boys”.

Umoru, however, insisted he was unaware of any concrete plans to overthrow the government and described his involvement as inadvertent. He added that he would have distanced himself from Ma’aji if he had known that he was a military officer or if he had suspected any ulterior motives.

Additionally, Umoru recalled an incident where he escorted Usman, another associate, to the presidential villa. He explained that the security personnel did not question them when he informed them that Usman was there to see him. However, he later found Usman taking photographs in his office and warned him against such behaviour.

Umoru also expressed regret for his involvement and apologized to his employers, reaffirming his support for President Tinubu’s administration.

Another video recording played in court involved Sheikh Imam Kassim Goni, an Islamic cleric. Goni, who moved to Karu in Abuja after fleeing insurgency in Maiduguri, Borno, has denied any involvement in the coup plot. It stated that the funds received by Col. Ma’aji were solely for prayers and charitable purposes, including requests for spiritual intervention following a setback in his promotion.

However, investigators pointed out discrepancies in Goni’s claims, pointing out that the funds had been transferred to him as early as March 2023, months before he mentioned his promotion problems. They also highlighted further documents showing millions of naira in transactions, including a ₦10 million transfer in October 2024. Investigators suggested that discussions about accessing and acquiring “work tools” pointed to a larger pattern.

During the hearing, Michael Numa, SAN, Goni’s lawyer, informed the court that he had just received video evidence implicating his client and asked for more time to review it. Judge Abdulmalik subsequently adjourned the trial to May 11, 12 and 13 for further proceedings.

The federal government, through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), had arraigned the accused before Justice Abdulmalik on a 13-count indictment. The charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026, was filed on April 20 by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN.

Those named in the indictment include Maj.-Gen. retired. Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, Captain (NN) Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, Insp. Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni and Abdulkadir Sani. Former Assistant Minister for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, who was also allegedly involved, remains at large.

The defendants are accused of treason and terrorism, failure to disclose security information and money laundering related to terrorist financing.