A Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sani Abdulkadir, on Monday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that he received money to offer prayers for an alleged coup plot but warned those involved that the plan would ultimately fail.
Abdulkadir, the sixth defendant in the ongoing trial of six suspects accused of plotting to overthrow the government of President Bola Tinubu, made the disclosure in a video recording played during the resumed hearing.
In the footage, the cleric said he was approached through an intermediary, identified as Sanda, who informed him that his principal intended to stage a coup and required spiritual support.
He told the court that after conducting prayers, he cautioned the alleged plotters that the operation would not succeed, predicting that internal betrayal would expose those involved.
“I told them it would fail. I said two people among them would eventually reveal everything,” he said in the recording.
According to him, the group later contacted him again, requesting further prayers to prevent the predicted leak.
Abdulkadir admitted that money was subsequently transferred to him for prayers and charity, while names of individuals allegedly involved in the plot were forwarded for inclusion in the supplications.
He, however, insisted that the funds were strictly for religious purposes and not a contribution to any unlawful act.
The cleric said he only became aware of the arrests through media reports after the intermediary informed him that the alleged ringleader, identified as Maaji, had been unreachable for several days.
He acknowledged understanding that a coup meant the forceful takeover of government but said he failed to report the plot due to uncertainty about the appropriate authority to notify.
Abdulkadir further told the court that he was arrested after visiting the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to resolve restrictions placed on his bank account, where he was subsequently invited to explain the source of the funds.
He denied making any confessional statement under duress, maintaining that he was neither tortured nor coerced while in custody and that all statements were given voluntarily.
Following the playback of the video, the prosecution sought to tender extrajudicial statements obtained from the six defendants by a special investigation panel and military police.
However, defence counsel objected, arguing that the statements were obtained in violation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
They alleged that the defendants were not informed of their right to legal representation, and claimed inconsistencies between video recordings and written statements, as well as instances of coercion and inducement.
Counsel to the fifth defendant also urged the court to order separate trial-within-trial proceedings for each defendant, citing the number of accused persons involved.
In response, the prosecution argued that the law does not require separate proceedings and urged the court to allow a unified process.
Ruling on the objections, the trial judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, ordered a single joint trial-within-trial to determine the admissibility and voluntariness of the disputed statements.
The case was adjourned till May 12 for continuation of hearing.
The Federal Government had, on April 22, arraigned the six defendants on a 13-count charge bordering on terrorism and treasonable offences. The accused persons pleaded not guilty.
