A Federal High Court on Monday watched a video recording of the alleged confession of an Islamic cleric, Sheikh Sani Abdulkadir, in the ongoing trial of individuals accused of plotting a coup against the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
In the video played before the court, Abdulkadir, identified as the sixth defendant in the matter, told investigators that he warned the alleged plotters that the coup plan would fail and that those involved would eventually be exposed.
The recording was tendered during the continuation of proceedings before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, with the fourth prosecution witness still giving testimony.
In the footage previewed in court, the cleric said he became acquainted with the alleged ringleader, identified as Colonel Ma’aji, through a man known as Sanda less than a year ago.
According to him, Sanda informed him that his superior intended to stage a coup and requested prayers and spiritual consultation regarding the success of the operation.
Abdulkadir stated that after praying over the matter, he informed them the plan would not succeed and that two persons within the group would eventually betray the conspirators.
He added that Sanda later returned with another request for prayers to prevent the alleged betrayal from occurring.
The defendant further disclosed that money was sent to him for prayers and charity, while names of persons allegedly linked to the plot were also forwarded for inclusion in the prayers.
He said he later learnt through media reports that arrests had been made over an alleged coup conspiracy after Sanda informed him that Colonel Ma’aji had gone missing for several days.
In the video, Abdulkadir insisted that the funds transferred to him were strictly for prayers and not for supporting any attempt to overthrow the government.
He also admitted that he understood a coup to mean a military takeover of government but claimed he did not report the matter because he did not know the appropriate authority to approach.
The cleric narrated that he was eventually arrested after visiting the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over restrictions placed on his bank account.
According to him, he discovered the account had been flagged while trying to withdraw funds sent to him and later honoured an invitation to the anti-graft agency’s office, where he explained the transactions.
He maintained in the recording that he never made any statement about a coup while in EFCC custody and added that he was neither assaulted nor tortured during interrogation.
Following the playback, the prosecution sought to tender extra-judicial statements allegedly made by the first to fifth defendants before a Special Investigation Panel and military police authorities, alongside the sixth defendant’s statement.
However, lawyers representing all six defendants separately objected to the admissibility of the statements and video recordings, arguing that they were either involuntary or obtained in breach of provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
Counsel to the defendants raised issues including alleged coercion, absence of legal representation during interrogation, inconsistencies between the video evidence and written statements, and claims of inducement and torture.
The defence teams also argued that separate trial-within-trial proceedings should be conducted for each defendant instead of a joint hearing.
Responding, the prosecution urged the court to reject the objections and proceed with a single trial-within-trial exercise, insisting that the law did not require separate proceedings for each defendant.
In her ruling, Justice Abdulmalik ordered a joint trial-within-trial to determine the voluntariness and admissibility of the disputed written and video statements.
The case was subsequently adjourned till May 12, 2026, for continuation of proceedings.
