An Islamic cleric standing trial alongside others over an alleged coup conspiracy on Monday told the Federal High Court in Abuja, through a video-recorded statement, that he had cautioned those behind the plot that the mission would not succeed.
The video, played in open court during proceedings before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, featured Sheikh Sani Abdulkadir explaining how he became linked to the alleged scheme through an associate identified as Sanda.
According to the cleric, Sanda approached him on behalf of a senior military officer, said to be Colonel Maaji, seeking spiritual guidance and prayers concerning plans to topple the government.
Abdulkadir stated that after conducting prayers and consultations, he warned that the operation was doomed to fail and predicted that insiders within the group would eventually leak information about the plan.
He further disclosed that another request was later brought to him asking for additional prayers to prevent betrayal among members allegedly involved in the conspiracy.
The cleric told investigators that money was subsequently transferred to him for prayer sessions and charity, while names of individuals connected to the alleged operation were supplied for mention during prayers.
He recounted that suspicion grew after Sanda informed him that Colonel Maaji had gone missing for days, before media reports later emerged announcing arrests linked to an alleged coup plot.
In the recorded interview, Abdulkadir denied taking money to support any unconstitutional act, insisting the funds were strictly tied to religious activities.
Although he admitted knowing that a coup referred to the forceful overthrow of a government by the military, he said he failed to alert security agencies because he was unsure who to approach with the information.
The defendant also narrated how he was eventually arrested after discovering that his bank account had been restricted while trying to withdraw part of the funds allegedly sent for prayers.
He explained that after contacting an official of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, he honoured an invitation to the agency where he clarified the origin of the money.
Abdulkadir maintained in the video that he was neither tortured nor intimidated during interrogation and insisted his statement was made voluntarily.
Following the playback, prosecutors sought to tender several extra-judicial statements obtained from the six defendants by military investigators and a Special Investigation Panel.
However, defence lawyers opposed the move, arguing that the statements and video recordings were obtained contrary to provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA.
The defence teams alleged that some of the defendants were denied legal representation, pressured into making statements, or subjected to inducement.
One of the lawyers further argued that the contents of the written statements differed from what was captured in the video evidence presented in court.
The prosecution, in response, urged the court to dismiss the objections and proceed with a single trial-within-trial to determine whether the disputed statements were voluntarily made.
The trial judge Justice Abdulmalik, in a short ruling ordered that a joint trial-within-trial be conducted for all six defendants to determine the admissibility of both the written statements and the video recordings.
The matter was adjourned to May 12 for further proceedings.
(Editor: Anoyoyo Ogiagboviogie)
