A Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police officer has told a federal high court in Abuja that six defendants accused of plotting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s government made their confessional statements without coercion.
The witness testified before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on Tuesday, May 12, as a trial within trial continued to determine whether video-recorded confessions from the suspects are admissible as evidence. The court ordered the separate proceeding after defence lawyers argued the statements were obtained under duress.
Rotimi Oyedepo, counsel to the federal government, confirmed three witnesses were lined up for the proceedings. The prosecution tendered written statements from all six defendants alongside an external hard drive and flash drive containing video recordings of their extrajudicial confessions. Defence lawyers raised no objections, and the court admitted all items as exhibits.
The witness said the defendants remained calm throughout questioning and were informed of their constitutional rights before making any statements. He added that the investigation complied with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) of 2015 and standard investigative procedures.
Describing the first defendant, retired Major General Mohammed Gana, the witness said he was composed throughout interrogation and was clearly told his statement could be tendered in court. He gave similar testimony regarding the second defendant, retired Naval Captain Erasmus Victor, maintaining that his statement was equally voluntary.
For the sixth defendant, an Islamic cleric, the witness confirmed that an interpreter facilitated communication between Hausa and English, with the statement read back to the defendant before confirmation. He denied that any defendant was tortured or pressured into speaking.
Asked to explain discrepancies between oral interviews and written statements, the witness said “human beings are not computers,” arguing that written accounts could not be exact reproductions of verbal responses.
Under cross-examination, the witness acknowledged he was not a core member of the special investigative panel and had participated only intermittently. He confirmed the video recordings covered only statements made before the military police and not those taken by the panel itself, and that no lawyers, civil society representatives, or justices of the peace were present during the recordings. He maintained that all defendants were nonetheless informed of their right to legal representation and chose not to request counsel.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter to May 13 for the trial within trial to continue. The federal government, through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, is prosecuting the six suspects over the alleged plot to topple the Tinubu administration.
