There are indications that the Federal Government is undecided on the mode of trial for the officers alleged to have plotted a coup against President Bola Tinubu.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that the Federal Government has not given instruction on whether the suspects should be court-martialled or arraigned in a regular court.

According to credible sources, the confusion stems from concerns that the offence was committed under a democratic government, not in a military administration where erring officers could have been arraigned in military courts.

In October 2025, the military arrested 16 senior officers, including one Brigadier General, a Naval officer, and Air Force personnel, but the authority denied that it had something to do with the coup plot.

However, the Defence Headquarters, on January 26, admitted that the officers were indeed arrested for their involvement in a coup plot.

The DHQ Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba, said the suspects would be arraigned before “relevant military judicial panels to face trial in line with the Armed Forces Act” and other applicable service regulations.

Apart from the military officers, about 24 other suspects were arrested in connection with the plan to topple Tinubu’s administration.

However, since the presentation of the report, the military has remained silent on the trial of the suspects.

Undecided judicial process

Saturday PUNCH learnt from top military officers that the silence was due to indecision on how to prosecute the suspects.

The officers, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak on the matter, confided in Saturday PUNCH that while the leadership preferred to court-martial the indicted officers, the Presidency was not convinced that a military court was appropriate for the arraignment.

One of the officers at the Defence Headquarters, who is knowledgeable about the investigations said, “We (the military leadership) are waiting for the President’s directive on the constitution of the court-martial panel.

“The DHQ had earlier announced that the indicted officers would be court-martialled in line with our rules. But there are some people, including government officials at the federal level, arguing that a court martial is not appropriate.

“But I think there is a clarification here. Only the military officers will be court-martialled. We have our system. We have our ways of doing things. The civilians will be taken to a regular court; they are not part of us.”

Similarly, a top military officer at the Nigerian Army headquarters told one of our correspondents that investigations had been concluded and that the indicted officers would be arraigned ‘very soon.’

“They will be arraigned very soon. Investigations have been concluded; that was why the DHQ came out to present a report on the coup plot. Whoever is yet to be arrested cannot run forever,” he said.

Asked whether the suspects would be arraigned in a regular court or court-martialled, the officer said, “I don’t know. I am not in a position to determine which court to approach. However, this is not from us (military authority), and I am yet to confirm it. I think some people are pushing for the indicted officers to be arraigned in a civilian court. That is left for the President to decide. He is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.”

A senior official in the Federal Ministry of Justice also said the AG’s office had yet to decide the court in which the suspected coup plotters would be arraigned.

He said there was “confusion” over the arraignment process, explaining that it required a careful approach.

“Nothing has been concluded. The AG’s office is central to the trial, whether it is a court-martial or a regular court.

“There is, indeed, confusion because this is the first time a coup attempt would be made under a civilian government. Previous coups occurred under military regimes, and they had their ways of handling such matters.

“We cannot rush to any court; we need to establish that the court has jurisdiction to handle the matter,” the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said.

Court-martial decision will be nullified – Falana

Meanwhile, human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate ofNigeria, Femi Falana, said any decision by a military panel would be nullified if the government proceeded with a court-martial for the suspected coup plotters.

Falana, who spoke with Saturday PUNCH, said a military panel had no jurisdiction to try the suspects, insisting that they could only be tried at a Federal High Court.

He said, “A court martial has no jurisdiction. If they go ahead with a court martial, the decision will be set aside. It happened in the Second Republic, when Mandara was taken to the Federal High Court, which had no jurisdiction at the time. He was freed by the Supreme Court. If you go to the wrong court, the case will be thrown out.

“We are in a civilian government; you can’t go to a court martial. They are not trying to overthrow a military dictator but a civilian President. Even throughout the military regime, no coup plotter was taken to a court martial because it is not covered by the Armed Forces Act. They were usually taken to special tribunals created by decrees for the trial of coup plotters. Those decrees have been repealed, and we are left with the Constitution.

“The Constitution states that treason and treasonable felony shall be tried in the Federal High Court. You can’t go to any other court. The Constitution is superior to the Armed Forces Act.”

Falana also faulted the continued detention of the suspects, arguing that they should have been arraigned in court.

He added that the military ought to have released other suspects since it had announced that 16 officers were already indicted in the attempted coup.

“They claim that 16 have been indicted. Why are they still detaining about 40 people? If you say you have indicted 16, then you must release the others who are still being detained.

“The military authorities are operating under a constitutional government, not under a military dictatorship. It is wrong to continue detaining the other suspects. Even for those who have been indicted, by now they should be made to face justice. You can’t keep them indefinitely since October last year.

“Under the Constitution, they cannot be detained for more than three months. They should have been arraigned, especially after the investigation report was released, instead of trying them in the media and leaking snippets of the report. That amounts to a media trial, which is not permitted under the Constitution.”

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Far away from another pandemic, it seems. Earlier this month, the World Health Organisation issued its latest alarm about the deteriorating state of global health financing – a stark new reality as the world stands on the brink of a renewed pandemic threat.

At the opening of the WHO Executive Board in Geneva on February 2, the Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus, told health ministers and diplomats that sudden and severe cuts to bilateral aid “have also caused huge disruptions to health systems and services in many countries,” describing 2025 as “one of the most difficult years” in the agency’s history.

Indeed, the recent tragic death of renowned soprano singer, Ifunanya Nwangene, following a snake bite in her Abuja apartment—reportedly worsened by the unavailability of snake antivenom—has reignited concerns about the far-reaching consequences of inadequate healthcare funding in Nigeria.

According to WHO data, an estimated 4.6 billion people worldwide still lack access to essential health services, and 2.1 billion face financial hardship because of health costs.

Pandemics have repeatedly reshaped human history, exposing the strengths and weaknesses of societies while testing public health systems, economies, and governance structures.

They are not only medical emergencies but also social and economic crises that disrupt daily life, strain institutions, and deepen existing inequalities.

The rapid spread of infectious diseases across borders highlights how interconnected the modern world has become, making preparedness, surveillance, and timely response essential.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a recent and striking example of how devastating a global health crisis can be. It exposed gaps in healthcare funding, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where access to testing, vaccines, and treatment was limited.

Outbreaks such as Ebola in West Africa between 2014 and 2016 demonstrated how fragile health systems, misinformation, and delayed responses can worsen the toll of a pandemic.

Together, these examples underscore the importance of sustained investment in healthcare, public trust, and international cooperation to reduce the impact of future pandemics.

Meanwhile, a projected shortage of 11 million health workers by 2030 — more than half of them nurses — threatens the very backbone of pandemic prevention, detection and response.

These unsettling projections come amid a backdrop of dramatic shifts in international health financing. In January, the United States formally withdrew from the WHO, ending a role it has played for decades.

The US had previously been one of the largest contributors to the WHO’s budget, covering nearly a fifth of its funding. Its exit forced the agency to revise its finances, including planning for a 21 per cent budget reduction in the 2026–27 cycle, and to make staff and programme cuts across regions.

The ripple effects are already visible. WHO surveys conducted in 2025 across 108 low- and middle-income countries showed that funding cuts reduced key services, including maternal care, vaccination, emergency preparedness and disease surveillance, by up to 70 per cent in some settings. This is alarming.

Even more troubling, 70 per cent of countries reported disruptions to health emergency preparedness and response, and 66 per cent to public health surveillance, during the same period, according to WHO rapid assessments.

These disruptions translate directly into lives at risk. On the malaria front, recent WHO reports show that investments which once helped prevent more than 2 billion cases and nearly 13 million deaths are now jeopardised as planned preventive campaigns and distributions of insecticide-treated nets are delayed or derailed.

These dips in global health aid, especially from major donors, could lead to millions of additional cases and deaths from tuberculosis and other infectious diseases over the next decade.

The lessons COVID-19 vividly echoed to the world are that pathogens do not respect borders. The Nigerian government needs to turn this funding crisis into an opportunity for investment in research and development to develop local production and standardisation of life-saving medicine.

In Nigeria, the federal and state governments need to invest in resilient health systems, from community clinics to national laboratories. There should be cuts in wasteful government spending, tackling the entrenched culture of corruption and developing the country’s healthcare system.

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Former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has described the attempt by security operatives to arrest him at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, as executive overreach and a deliberate disregard for the rule of law.

The former governor arrived at the airport to a waiting crowd of supporters who had gathered to welcome him.

In an interview with BBC Hausa on Wednesday, he stated that security agencies might arrest him soon, noting that four of his former aides had already been detained.

On Wednesday evening, he hinted in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that he would be returning to Nigeria soon.

However, a tense atmosphere prevailed at the Abuja airport on Thursday following a reported attempt by security operatives to detain El-Rufai upon his arrival from Cairo.

An aide of the former governor, Muyiwa Adekeye, reported on his X page that armed personnel approached El-Rufai shortly after he landed, attempting to escort him away.

He added that some individuals present intervened, insisting that the former governor would not comply without proper documentation. “The officers walked straight up to him and told him to follow them. But some people around insisted that he would not accompany them like that,” Adekeye said.

El-Rufai was said to have requested to see an official invitation, which could not be provided. “Mallam Nasir had asked them to show him any form of invitation before he joined them at their office, but they couldn’t provide any,” Adekeye added.

Supporters had thronged the airport to welcome the former governor and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress and were seen in a video pushing him and his wife into a Sport Utility Vehicle to exit the airport.

Condemning the development in a post on his X account, El-Rufai accused the authorities of exceeding their powers and flouting the rule of law.

He stated, “My lawyers have issued a statement that condemns the illegal attempt to arrest me today at the Abuja airport upon my arrival from Cairo.

“Our country must outgrow executive overreach.”

El-Rufai defected from the All Progressives Congress to the African Democratic Congress after serving eight years as governor.

His counsel also accused security operatives of attempting to unlawfully arrest his client on Thursday.

In a statement by Ubong Akpan of the Chambers of Ubong Akpan, the lawyer said operatives moved against El-Rufai shortly after he landed aboard Egypt Air flight MS 877 from Cairo.

Akpan said, “We unequivocally condemn the attempted illegal arrest of our client by security operatives this afternoon upon his arrival in Abuja. This is a flagrant violation of constitutional rights, executive overreach, and a deliberate disregard for the rule of law.”

The lawyer stated that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had previously issued an invitation to El-Rufai while he was abroad, calling the action unreasonable and impractical.

“The invitation from the EFCC was delivered to Malam El-Rufai’s residence while he was already abroad, rendering it inherently illogical to demand immediate attendance.

“We formally communicated with the EFCC since December 2025, assuring compliance upon his return,” he said.

He added that the commission had been notified that El-Rufai would appear voluntarily.

“Yesterday, we explicitly informed them that he would appear at their office by 10:00 am on Monday, February 16, 2026. Resorting to arrest despite this clear commitment exemplifies arbitrary conduct and undermines procedural integrity,” he stated.

Akpan claimed that Department of State Services operatives tried to detain El-Rufai without showing a warrant or an official invitation.

“Upon his arrival, security operatives moved to arrest Malam El-Rufai without presenting any warrant or letter. When he demanded to see the invitation, none could be produced — no document, no signed directive, no lawful process,” the lawyer said.

He also alleged that the security operatives confiscated El-Rufai’s passport, noting that passengers and other airport users stepped in during the incident.

“In the same unlawful manner, operatives physically snatched his international passport. This act is nothing short of stealing, the unlawful taking of private property by agents of the state acting without colour of authority.

“Ordinary Nigerians present at the airport, incensed by this display, surrounded the scene and insisted loudly that he could only be arrested upon a legitimate process.

“That citizens had to remind security operatives of the constitution is both shameful and instructive,” he added.

Akpan contended that the attempted arrest breached multiple constitutional rights, including the rights to personal freedom, a fair trial, human dignity, freedom of movement, and ownership of property.

“There exists no justifiable basis for this attempted arrest or the accompanying mistreatment,” he said, adding that El-Rufai returned to Nigeria despite alleged intelligence of plans to intercept him.

“This premeditated interception at the airport exemplifies lawlessness and an abuse of state power,” the statement read.

The lawyer called for a prompt cessation of any attempts to arrest El-Rufai and for his passport to be returned without delay.

“We demand the immediate and unconditional cessation of all unlawful efforts to detain Malam El-Rufai, the immediate return of his stolen passport, and a formal apology for this egregious infringement on his dignity and rights,” Akpan said.

The lawyer also stressed that El-Rufai will honour, without preconditions, all legitimate law-enforcement summons.

“Let it be publicly clear: Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai will never take the cowardly route of running away from law enforcement. He will honour, without preconditions, all legitimate law-enforcement summons,” he stated.

Security sources disclosed that operatives of the DSS were responsible for the drama at the airport, not officials of the EFCC.

A security source, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said that although El-Rufai had earlier been invited by the EFCC, the anti-graft agency was not involved in the airport encounter.

“Yes, he was invited by the EFCC, but it was not the anti-graft agency that approached him at the airport. There was an agreement that he would report to the EFCC on Monday, so they had no reason to look for him at the airport,” the source said.

According to the source, the operatives involved were from the DSS, adding that their action did not amount to an arrest.

“Those men are from the DSS. I don’t think they were out to arrest him. If that was the case, nothing would have prevented them from taking him away,” it added.

The source further noted that the DSS had already obtained what it required from him during the encounter.

“What they wanted from him, they already have,” the source added.

Neither the DSS nor the EFCC had officially commented on the incident as of the time of filing this report.

Efforts to also get their reactions failed as of the time of filing this report.

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