An employee of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc attached to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Zekari Umoru, on Tuesday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that he was unknowingly drawn into an alleged coup plot, blaming his involvement on deception by co-defendants.
Umoru, the fourth defendant in the ongoing trial over alleged plans to overthrow the administration of President Bola Tinubu, made the claim in a video-recorded statement presented before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
In the footage, Umoru narrated that his association with key figures in the case began in May 2025 through a police officer, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, who introduced him to one Hassan Mohammed, later identified as “Col. Mohammed Ma’aji.”
He explained that the introduction was initially presented as a business opportunity involving electrical work at a construction site, adding that he had no reason to suspect any ulterior motive at the time.
Umoru told investigators that he received several cash payments from Ma’aji, sometimes in the presence of Ibrahim, and recounted multiple meetings with the alleged mastermind and another associate, Usman, whom he later discovered to be a military officer.
According to him, one of such encounters occurred at a location identified as “Tiger Bar,” where Ma’aji allegedly gave him and others between ₦100,000 and ₦120,000 after engaging them in casual discussions.
He further disclosed that on September 24, 2025, Ma’aji handed him a bag filled with cash, which he deposited in a Zenith Bank branch, where it was counted as ₦8.8 million. He added that an additional ₦2 million was given to him the following day.
Umoru, however, maintained that he grew suspicious of the continuous flow of money and sought clarification from Ibrahim, who allegedly hinted at a plan to “sanitise the government,” involving access to the Presidential Villa through unconventional means.
Despite these revelations, the defendant insisted he was unaware of any concrete plan to stage a coup, stressing that he would have withdrawn from the arrangement had he known the true intent behind the transactions.
He also described an instance where he escorted an associate into the Presidential Villa without obstruction, noting that the individual later took photographs within his office without authorisation.
Expressing remorse, Umoru apologised to his employers and reaffirmed his loyalty to the government, insisting that he was misled.
In a related development, another video statement played in court featured an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Imam Kassim Goni, the fifth defendant, who denied any involvement in the alleged plot.
Goni told investigators that funds he received from Ma’aji were strictly for religious and charitable purposes, including prayers. However, prosecutors highlighted discrepancies between his claims and financial records, which showed multiple transactions running into millions of naira.
Counsel to Goni, Michael Numa (SAN), requested time to review the video evidence, prompting the court to adjourn proceedings until May 11, 12 and 13 for continuation of trial.
The Federal Government had arraigned six defendants on a 13-count charge bordering on treason, terrorism, and related offences.
Those standing trial include retired Major-General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor (retd), Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekari Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani, while a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, is listed as being at large.
