Court Examines Voluntariness of Statements in Coup Case

On Wednesday, the Federal High Court in Abuja began a trial within a trial concerning six individuals accused of attempting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu's government. The court is assessing whether the statements made by the defendants were obtained voluntarily or under duress, coercion, or torture during military investigations.

Justice Joyc Abdulmalik cautioned the parties involved to focus strictly on issues relating to the voluntariness of the statements, avoiding delving into substantive matters already pending in the main trial. The prosecution, led by Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, informed the court that three witnesses would testify during this trial within a trial.

The first witness, an officer from the Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police, stated that the defendants were calm and fully aware of their constitutional rights when making statements during the investigation process, which complied with the standard operating procedures outlined in the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015. The prosecution subsequently tendered statements from the six defendants, which were allegedly obtained by the Special Investigative Panel.