The six men pleaded not guilty Wednesday afternoon to all 13 charges preferred against them before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The Nigerian government on Wednesday arraigned a retired army general and five others over an alleged failed coup against President Bola Tinubu.
They include Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, a retired major-general, and Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, a retired navy captain.
The rest are Ahmed Ibrahim, a police inspector; Zekeri Umoru, an electrician at the Presidential Villa, Bukar Kashim Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani, who is a Zaria, Kaduna State-based Islamic cleric.
After the defendants entered their plea of not-guilty during the proceedings, which did not start until about 1.40 p,m. on Wednesday, the judge, Joyce Abdulmalik, ordered an accelerated hearing of the trial.
The judge also fixed 27 April for the hearing of the bail application.
Five of the defendants were produced in court by the agents of the State Security Service (SSS) on Wednesday. They are to remain in the security agency’s custody pending the hearing and determination of their bail applications.
Only Mr Sani, who a court had ordered to be released unconditionally, came to court on his own.
…More details later
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