ABUJA, Nigeria — Six individuals are facing terrorism and treason charges in Nigeria after authorities uncovered an alleged conspiracy to remove President Bola Tinubu from power, according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Among those now in custody are a retired major general and an active police inspector. Meanwhile, former Bayelsa state Governor Timpre Sylva remains a fugitive, accused of assisting in covering up the conspiracy.
Court documents containing 13 separate charges state that the defendants “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 a coup attempt in January, announcing that multiple military personnel would face prosecution. These individuals were among 16 military officers detained in 2025 for what defense officials called “acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations,” sparking speculation about a possible coup that the government first dismissed.
While Africa’s largest country by population witnessed five military takeovers during the 1900s, it has remained free of coups since establishing democratic governance in 1999.
This conspiracy emerges amid rising military interventions and coup attempts across West and Central Africa, including recent incidents in Benin and Guinea-Bissau in late 2023. According to analysts, these military seizures of power typically stem from contested elections, constitutional crises, security challenges, and widespread dissatisfaction among young people.
