Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, on Monday barred journalists from covering the trial of six suspected coup plotters being tried by the President Bola Tinubu government.
Some of the journalists had arrived at the court a little after 8:00 a.m. and had secured seats in the last row thereafter, awaiting the commencement of the court’s sitting.
A few minutes before 9:00 a.m., a court official announced that those unable to secure a seat should vacate the courtroom because the judge would not allow anyone to stand once the court began sitting.
While those without seats, including lawyers, were leaving the courtroom, another court official and security operatives attached to the court asked reporters to leave the courtroom.
When asked why, they said the presiding judge, Ms Abdulmalik, had instructed them not to let journalists into the court.
When the journalists responded that the trial of the alleged coup plotters was of public importance and that there was no court order mandating proceedings without media presence, the officials insisted they were acting on the judge’s instruction.
Shortly after the journalists left, the security official locked the door.
Mr Lateef Fagbemi, the nation’s attorney general, arrived at the court around 10:35 a.m. and headed to Court 6, the venue of the trial.
The judge had, on January 23, sent out a reporter covering the suits filed by Nyesom Wike-led Peoples Democratic Party, and the Kabiru Turaki-led faction, which had now been decided by the court.
When the judge entered the courtroom and saw the reporter, she asked, “May I know who you are?”
When the reporter responded that he was a journalist, she ordered him out of the courtroom since he could not secure a seat.
The judge had, on April 22, ordered the remand of the alleged coup plotters in the State Security Service custody.
The judge also ordered an accelerated hearing in the case. She equally ordered the SSS to give the lawyers and family members access to the defendants within a reasonable time.
The judge then adjourned the matter until April 27 for the commencement of the trial and the hearing of the defendants’ bail applications.
The order followed the AGF’s arraignment of the six defendants on behalf of the government. The federal government had filed a 13-count charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026, against the defendants.
The suspects are Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni and Abdulkadir Sani, listed as first to sixth defendants, respectively.
A former deputy petroleum minister, Timipre Sylva, was listed as being at large in the charge sheet.
The defendants were accused of alleged treason and terrorism, including failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing, among other charges.
The matter is currently ongoing as of the time of filing the report.
(NAN)
