The Nigerian military has inaugurated a general court-martial to try 36 personnel accused of involvement in an alleged plot to overthrow the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
The tribunal, constituted by the Defence Headquarters, was inaugurated on Friday at the Scorpion Mess under tight security. Proceedings were held behind closed doors despite the high-profile nature of the case.
Journalists, including accredited defence correspondents who had received prior invitations, were denied access to the venue. Security operatives also prohibited the use of mobile phones to document the arrival of the defendants, who were transported in an Army Headquarters Garrison bus at approximately 8:53 a.m.
The court-martial is unfolding alongside parallel criminal proceedings instituted by the Federal Government at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
On April 22, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, arraigned a separate group of suspects before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik in connection with the same alleged plot. The defendants—comprising retired military officers, a police inspector, and several civilians—pleaded not guilty to a 13-count charge bordering on treason, terrorism, and money laundering.
According to the prosecution, the accused conspired in 2025 to overthrow the government and failed to report the plot to authorities. The court subsequently ordered their remand in the custody of the Department of State Services, with an accelerated hearing scheduled for April 27.
The dual-track prosecution has triggered significant legal debate. Prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has called on the Attorney-General to invoke Section 174 of the Constitution to discontinue the military proceedings and consolidate all cases before the Federal High Court.
Falana argued that offences such as treason and terrorism fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal High Court under Section 251 of the Constitution. He questioned the legal coherence of prosecuting some suspects in a civilian court while subjecting others to a military tribunal for the same alleged offences.
“Courts-martial lack the jurisdiction to handle such grave constitutional offences,” he said, adding that even during past military regimes, coup-related cases were typically adjudicated by special tribunals rather than conventional courts-martial.
The military had earlier stated that the alleged coup plot was uncovered through internal intelligence operations, leading to the arrests. Families of the accused, alongside activist Omoyele Sowore, have also called for a transparent, civilian-led trial to safeguard the defendants’ fundamental rights.
