Journalists have been barred from covering the trial of six alleged coup plotters accused of actions intended to unseat President Bola Tinubu.
Reports say court officials—supported by operatives of the Department of State Services—ordered Judiciary correspondents to leave the courtroom shortly before the trial judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik took her seat. It was also reported that the suspects’ bail application is still pending before the court.
Earlier, the six accused persons were brought into the courtroom under heavy security. The defendants standing trial are Mohammed Ibrahim Gana (a retired major-general), *Erasmus Victor(a retired navy captain), Ahmed Ibrahim (a police inspector), and Zekeri Umoru (an electrician at the Presidential Villa).
The other accused are Bukar Goni and Abdulkadir Sani a Zaria-based Islamic cleric.
They are facing a 13-count charge involving allegations bordering on treason *terrorism, failure to disclose information* and *money laundering All six pleaded not guilty, Timipre Sylva a former Bayelsa State governor, was mentioned in seven of the 13 counts, but he is not listed as a defendant.
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