ABUJA — The Federal Government has filed a 13-count charge 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.
The case, instituted before a Federal High Court in Abuja, also names Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana (retd), Captain Erasmus Victor (retd), Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Goni and Abdulkadir Sani as defendants.
They are expected to be arraigned on Wednesday before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
According to the charge filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), Sylva is “currently at large.”
The prosecution alleged that the defendants conspired in 2025 “to levy war against Nigeria in a bid to overawe the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” an offence punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code.
It further claimed that the accused persons had prior knowledge of a planned treasonable act involving one Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others but failed to report it to the President or relevant authorities.
“They failed to disclose intelligence and did not take reasonable steps to prevent the commission of the alleged offence,” the charge stated.
Beyond treason, the Federal Government is prosecuting the defendants for alleged terrorism-related offences under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Specifically, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim and Zekeri Umoru were accused of participating in meetings “linked to terrorist activities in pursuit of a political ideology capable of destabilising Nigeria’s constitutional order.”
The prosecution also alleged that the defendants “knowingly rendered support to facilitate acts of terrorism” and suppressed intelligence that could have helped security agencies avert the alleged acts.
In addition, the charge includes allegations of terrorism financing and unlawful financial transactions.
Bukar Goni was accused of retaining N50 million said to be proceeds of terrorism financing, while Abdulkadir Sani allegedly retained N2 million from a similar source.
Zekeri Umoru was further accused of accepting N10 million in cash outside the banking system and retaining another N8.8 million suspected to be linked to terrorism financing.
Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim was also alleged to have taken possession of N1 million connected to the scheme.
All financial-related charges were filed under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
