Nigerian Military Inaugurates Court-Martial For Coup Plotters

The Nigerian military has set up a court-martial against 36 officers and soldiers over alleged plan to remove President Bola Tinubu from power.

The trial panel was set up by the Defence Headquarters and opened on Friday at the Scorpion Mess in Asokoro, Abuja.

The proceedings were held in private, with tight security around the venue, and journalists were not allowed in.

Security officials also stopped anyone from using mobile phones as the accused were brought to the location in a bus from the army headquarters garrison.

Meanwhile, the federal government, through the office of the attorney-general, is prosecuting six other suspects linked to the alleged plot.

Among them are a retired major general, a former naval captain, a serving police inspector, and some civilians.

They were arraigned on a 13-count charge before a federal high court in Abuja earlier in the week.

The court ordered that they be remanded in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) and fixed April 27 for the start of a fast-tracked hearing.

A former Bayelsa State governor, Timipre Sylva, was also named in the charges, but reports say he is currently on the run.

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