A retired naval captain facing coup charges over last year’s alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration has told investigators that he was aware of the plot but repeatedly advised the suspected mastermind, Mohammed Ma’aji, a Nigerian Army colonel, against the plan.
The account is contained in investigation records obtained exclusively by PREMIUM TIMES.
The records include the statement of Erasmus Victor, who is one of the six defendants currently facing trial arising from the alleged coup plot before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In the statement, Mr Victor, who switched to politics after his military service, acknowledged discussing the alleged plot with Mr Ma’aji on several occasions, communicating with him through an encrypted messaging application and even joking about government appointments if the coup succeeded.
Mr Victor, a former local government chairman in Rivers State, discussed how the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, who is a former Rivers State governor, and other individuals were suggested as potential financiers during the coup leader’s alleged scramble to find sponsors.
