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By Lizzy Chirkpi
The Federal Government has filed a 13-count charge before a Federal High Court in Abuja against former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, and six others over an alleged plot to wage war against Nigeria and commit acts of terrorism.
Also listed as defendants are Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, Erasmus Victor (retd), Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Goni and Abdulkadir Sani. They are scheduled for arraignment on Wednesday before Joyce Abdulmalik. Sylva is said to be at large.
The charge, filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo, accuses the defendants of offences including treason, terrorism, failure to disclose security intelligence, and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.
According to the prosecution, the defendants allegedly conspired in 2025 to “levy war against the state in order to overawe the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” an offence punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.
The government further alleged that the accused had prior knowledge of a planned treasonable act involving Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others but failed to report it or take steps to prevent it.
Prosecutors also brought terrorism-related charges under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, alleging the defendants “conspired to commit acts of terrorism within Nigeria and suppressed intelligence that could have aided security agencies.”
Specifically, Ahmed Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru were accused of attending meetings linked to terrorist activities “in pursuit of a political ideology capable of destabilising Nigeria’s constitutional order.”
On the financial side, Bukar Goni allegedly retained N50 million suspected to be proceeds of terrorism financing, while Abdulkadir Sani is accused of holding N2 million from similar sources. Umoru was further accused of accepting N10 million in cash outside the banking system and retaining an additional N8.8 million, while Inspector Ibrahim allegedly took possession of N1 million tied to the scheme.
All financial counts were filed under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 202