Tension reportedly erupted inside a military facility in Abuja on Tuesday after civilian lawyers representing alleged coup plotters refused an order by a military tribunal directing them to appear in wigs and gowns before defending their clients, in a development that has further deepened concerns surrounding the secretive proceedings being conducted within a restricted military venue with limited public access.
The standoff inside the military facility came at the same time that, in a related development, the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday played a video recording of Sheikh Sani Abdulkadir, the sixth defendant in the ongoing trial of persons accused of allegedly plotting to overthrow the government of President Bola Tinubu, in which the Islamic cleric admitted that he received money for prayers linked to the alleged operation while insisting he had warned the plotters that their plan would collapse.
Sources familiar with the proceedings told SaharaReporters that the lawyers challenged the directive of the military tribunal, insisting that the tribunal lacked the authority to impose dress requirements arbitrarily, particularly in what they described as a controversial and secretive military trial involving civilians and weighty constitutional questions.
According to the sources, the disagreement created a tense atmosphere inside the restricted military venue where several individuals accused of involvement in an alleged coup plot are currently standing trial away from public scrutiny.
The situation reportedly escalated after tribunal officials allegedly threatened to eject the defence lawyers from the courtroom if they refused to comply with the dress code directive.
However, the lawyers reportedly stood their ground, maintaining that legal representation should not be subject to what they considered arbitrary conditions that could undermine the defendants’ rights.
A source privy to the proceedings told SaharaReporters: “The standoff reportedly escalated after tribunal officials threatened to eject the lawyers from the venue if they failed to comply with the directive. Despite the threats, the lawyers maintained their position and challenged the legality of the order.”
Sources said the development further deepened concerns already surrounding the ongoing proceedings, which are being conducted within a military facility with limited public access.
The standoff raises fundamental questions about the propriety of trying civilians before a military tribunal in the first place, the rules of procedure applicable to such proceedings, and the extent to which a military tribunal can impose dress requirements on civilian lawyers admitted to the Nigerian Bar and entitled to appear before any court or tribunal in Nigeria.
The defence lawyers’ position that the tribunal lacks the authority to impose dress requirements arbitrarily touches on the broader question of whether the military tribunal trying the alleged coup plotters is itself operating within its constitutional and statutory mandate, and whether the rights of the civilian defendants to a fair hearing are being safeguarded in proceedings that are being conducted away from public scrutiny.
In a related development, the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday played a video-recorded statement of Sheikh Sani Abdulkadir, the sixth defendant in the ongoing trial of persons accused of allegedly plotting to overthrow the government of President Bola Tinubu.
The recording, presented during proceedings before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, showed the Islamic cleric admitting that he received money for prayers linked to the alleged operation, while insisting he warned the plotters that their plan would collapse.
The video was played while the fourth prosecution witness (PW4) remained in the witness box, as the prosecution continued to build its case against the six defendants standing trial over allegations of conspiracy to stage a military takeover.
In the recording, Abdulkadir said he had known the alleged ringleader, identified as Colonel Maaji, for less than a year.
He told investigators he was introduced through an intermediary known as Sanda, who allegedly requested spiritual assistance for the success of a planned coup.
The cleric’s admission that he received money for prayers linked to the alleged operation while insisting he had warned the plotters that their plan would collapse places him at an unusual intersection of the prosecution’s case: a defendant who acknowledges receipt of money but seeks to characterise his role as that of a sceptical spiritual consultant rather than an active participant in the alleged plot.
The simultaneous unfolding of the two developments the wig-and-gown standoff inside the secret military tribunal on Tuesday, and the playing of Sheikh Abdulkadir’s video statement before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik at the Federal High Court on Monday highlights the parallel forums in which persons accused of involvement in the alleged plot against President Tinubu’s government are being tried.
On one hand, the Federal High Court is conducting a public, open trial in line with the constitutional guarantees of fair hearing and public adjudication enshrined in Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution. On the other hand, the military tribunal is conducting proceedings inside a restricted military facility, away from public scrutiny, and with civilian lawyers facing threats of ejection over a dress code directive.
The defence lawyers’ insistence that the tribunal lacks the authority to impose arbitrary dress requirements is, at its core, a challenge to the broader framework within which the secret military proceedings are being conducted — a framework that civil society groups, human rights advocates and members of the legal profession have already raised concerns about.
As of the time of filing this report, the standoff over the wig-and-gown directive inside the military facility was yet to be resolved, and the prosecution was continuing to build its case against the six defendants at the Federal High Court.