An Islamic cleric standing trial over an alleged conspiracy to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s government yesterday told a Federal High Court in Abuja that he foresaw the plot’s failure and specifically warned that betrayal from within would unravel the scheme.
Sheikh Sani Abdulkadir made the revelation through a video-recorded testimony played before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik. In the recording, the cleric explained how he became entangled in the alleged coup conspiracy after being approached by an associate named Sanda.
According to Abdulkadir, Sanda contacted him seeking spiritual guidance and prayers on behalf of a senior military officer identified as Colonel Maaji. The request, he said, concerned plans to topple the sitting government.
The cleric told investigators that after performing prayers and spiritual consultations, he delivered a clear warning: the operation was destined to fail, and individuals within the group would eventually leak critical information about the plot to outsiders.
He added that a subsequent request was made for additional prayers aimed at preventing betrayal among those allegedly involved.
Abdulkadir stated that money was later transferred to him to facilitate prayer sessions and for charitable purposes. He said names of individuals linked to the alleged operation were provided so they could be mentioned during the prayers.
Suspicion grew, the cleric recounted, after Sanda informed him that Colonel Maaji had gone missing for several days. Soon after, media reports emerged announcing arrests tied to the alleged coup plot.
In the recorded interview, Abdulkadir firmly denied accepting money to support any unconstitutional act. He insisted the funds were strictly tied to religious activities. While admitting that he understood a coup to mean the forceful seizure of power by the military, he said he did not alert security agencies because he was uncertain about who to approach with such sensitive information.
The cleric also described how his arrest unfolded. He said he discovered his bank account had been restricted while attempting to withdraw part of the funds allegedly sent for prayers. After contacting an official of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, he honoured an invitation to the agency and clarified the source of the money.
Abdulkadir maintained in the video that he was neither tortured nor intimidated during interrogation and that his statement was made voluntarily.
Following the playback of the recording, prosecutors moved to tender several extra-judicial statements obtained from all six defendants by military investigators and a Special Investigation Panel.
However, defence lawyers objected, arguing that the statements and video recordings were obtained in violation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act. They alleged that some defendants were denied legal representation, pressured into making statements, or subjected to inducements. One lawyer further contended that discrepancies existed between the written statements and the video evidence presented in court.
The prosecution urged the court to dismiss the objections and proceed with a single trial-within-trial to determine whether the disputed statements were made voluntarily.
Justice Abdulmalik issued a brief ruling ordering a joint trial-within-trial for all six defendants to assess the admissibility of both the written statements and video recordings. The case was adjourned to May 12 for further proceedings.
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