Abuja, Nigeria: The Federal High Court ordered the remand of six defendants in the custody of Nigeria’s Department of State Services on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, following their arraignment on a 13-count charge of alleged terrorism linked to a suspected coup plot.
Okay News reports that Nigeria’s Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, informed the court that the charge was ready and sought leave to have it read to the defendants during a session that commenced at 1:46 p.m. WAT.
Proceedings were briefly stalled after the third defendant reported their legal counsel was unavailable, while the legal representative for the sixth defendant stated their client only understood Arabic and Hausa. The court stood down the matter to secure a language interpreter.
The court reconvened at 2:18 p.m. WAT, at which point all six individuals entered pleas of not guilty to the 13 counts. The prosecution subsequently requested the defendants be remanded to the custody of the Department of State Services and asked for an accelerated hearing.
Most defense lawyers did not oppose the request for an accelerated trial, though the lawyer for the first defendant indicated an intention to file an application for bail. The presiding judge granted the accelerated hearing, ordered the remand with access to legal representation, and adjourned the case until April 27, 2026.
