The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday ordered the remand of six individuals in the custody of the Department of State Services over alleged involvement in a coup plot linked to terrorism charges.
The defendants were arraigned on a 13-count charge as proceedings commenced around 1:46pm, with the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), informing the court that the charges were ready for reading.
The hearing was briefly interrupted after the third defendant told the court his lawyer was unavailable due to illness, while counsel to the sixth defendant disclosed that his client only understood Arabic and Hausa, forcing the court to stand down proceedings to provide an interpreter.
Upon resumption at about 2:18pm, the six defendants entered their pleas, all denying the allegations and pleading not guilty.
Following the arraignment, the prosecution urged the court to remand the suspects in DSS custody and requested an accelerated hearing of the case.
While most defence lawyers did not oppose the request, counsel to the first defendant indicated plans to file a bail application.
In his ruling, the trial judge granted the prosecution’s request for a speedy trial, ordered the defendants to be held in DSS custody with access to their legal representatives, and adjourned the case until April 27, 2026, for the commencement of trial.