Cleric says alleged coup plotter reached out to request prayers

An Islamic cleric who is currently on trial for an alleged conspiracy to depose President Bola Tinubu told a Federal High Court in Abuja that he was approached to pray for the success of the scheme.
A video‑recorded statement by Sheikh Sani Abdulkadir, shown in court on Monday, indicated that an intermediary named Sanda contacted him and said his “Oga” was planning a coup.
Abdulkadir, the sixth defendant in the case, said he had known the alleged mastermind, Colonel Mohammed Maaji, for less than a year before the request was made.
According to the cleric, Sanda asked him to provide spiritual support to gauge whether the operation would succeed.
After performing the prayers, Abdulkadir said he warned the plotters that the coup would fail and that insiders would eventually expose those involved.
He added that a later request asked him to pray that two individuals expected to leak details of the plan would remain silent.
The cleric admitted that money was transferred to him for prayers and charitable purposes, and that the names of alleged participants were sent to him to be included in the prayers.
Nevertheless, Abdulkadir insisted the funds were strictly for spiritual purposes and not to finance any coup attempt.
He said he understood that a coup meant a military overthrow of the government, but he did not report the plot because he “did not know who to report to.”
Abdulkadir also told investigators that he first learned of the arrests through media reports after Sanda informed him that Colonel Maaji had been unreachable for four days.
The cleric said his own arrest followed a visit to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to address restrictions on his bank account.
He said an EFCC deputy director invited him to explain the source of the funds deposited in the account.
He denied making any coup‑related confession while in EFCC custody and maintained that all statements attributed to him were given voluntarily, without torture or coercion.
During Monday’s hearing, the prosecution sought to introduce extra‑judicial statements made by all six defendants before a Special Investigation Panel and military police authorities.
Defence counsel objected, arguing that the statements were obtained involuntarily and violated the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
The defence highlighted alleged failures to inform the defendants of their right to legal representation, inconsistencies between video recordings and written statements, and claims of coercion and inducement.
Counsel for the fifth defendant also argued that the court should hold separate trial‑within‑trial proceedings for each disputed statement.
The prosecution countered that the law does not require separate hearings and urged the court to admit the evidence.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ruled in favour of a single joint trial‑within‑trial to determine the admissibility and voluntariness of the contested statements.
The matter was adjourned until May 12.