ABUJA, Nigeria — A half-dozen individuals suspected of scheming to topple Nigeria’s government faced a judge Wednesday as prosecutors brought forward serious accusations of treason and acts of terrorism.
Each of the six defendants entered not guilty pleas when confronted with the 13 criminal charges that were formally presented Tuesday. The group has remained under detention by Nigeria’s intelligence services for several months.
Among those facing charges are a former major general who had retired from military service and a current police inspector still on active duty. Authorities are also pursuing a seventh individual, ex-Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa state, who faces accusations of helping to hide the conspiracy but has not been captured.
Following the entry of their pleas, the judge postponed proceedings until April 27, when the court will consider whether to grant bail to the defendants.
According to the formal accusations filed by prosecutors, the suspects “conspired with one another to levy war against the state to overawe the president of the Federal Republic.”
Nigerian officials initially revealed they had prevented an attempted government takeover in January, announcing at that time that multiple military personnel would face prosecution.
Had the conspiracy succeeded, it would have ended nearly 30 years of elected government in the continent’s most populated nation, which established democratic rule in 1999.
