By Camillus Eboh
ABUJA, April 21 (Reuters) – Nigeria’s government filed 13 criminal charges against six former security officials accused of plotting the violent overthrow of President Bola Tinubu’s government last year, court documents showed on Tuesday.
Prosecutors charged a retired army major-general and others with treason, terrorism and terrorism financing. A seventh suspect, a former state governor, remains at large.
Attorney-General and Justice Minister Lateef Fagbemi filed the case on Monday at a federal court in Nigeria’s capital Abuja. The suspects are due to be arraigned on Wednesday.
Defence lawyers were not immediately available for comment.
The case is the most serious treason prosecution since Tinubu took office in 2023, reflecting a push to tighten internal security at a time of economic strains, an Islamist insurgency in the north, and political frictions.
In October, Tinubu suddenly replaced the military’s leadership in a sweeping shake-up described by an aide as a move to bolster security as threats rose.
(Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
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