The military has again postponed the ruling of the General Court Martial sitting over the alleged coup plot case involving some military officers accused of attempting to overthrow the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The ruling, which was earlier scheduled for Wednesday, September 30, 2026, has now been rescheduled for Monday, October 5, 2026.

In a notice issued to members of the court and other concerned parties, the military said the sitting earlier adjourned to Wednesday had been postponed.

“The GCM sitting earlier adjourned to Wednesday, 30 September, 2026, has now been postponed to Monday, 5 October, 2026,” the notice stated.

“The new sitting is scheduled to commence at 10am at the Scorpion Officers’ Mess, Asokoro, Abuja.

The notice, signed by Major M.U. Ardo, the Liaison Officer, did not state the reason for the postponement but expressed regret over any inconvenience caused.

The latest development marks the fourth time the ruling has been deferred, further delaying a decision in the military trial.

The ruling is expected to determine the admissibility of statements allegedly obtained from some of the accused officers, following a trial-within-a-trial conducted by the court.

Defence lawyers had challenged the admission of the statements, alleging that some of the accused officers were coerced by officials of the Defence Intelligence Agency, DIA, into making or reproducing statements they said contained false information.

During the trial-within-a-trial, the defence argued that the statements did not meet legal requirements for admissibility, alleging that lawyers or witnesses selected by some of the accused officers were not present when the statements were taken.

The defence also questioned the absence of video recordings showing the officers writing their statements in the presence of their chosen witnesses, as required under relevant provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.

The lawyers further alleged that some of the officers were not properly cautioned or adequately informed of their rights before making the statements.

The prosecution, however, presented evidence seeking to establish that the statements were made voluntarily and without improper pressure.

Some of the accused officers gave contrary testimony, alleging that they were subjected to coercion, intimidation, inducement and physical abuse during their detention.

According to evidence presented before the court, some officers alleged that they were made to believe that reproducing particular statements would facilitate their release.

They further claimed that some statements had already been prepared by intelligence officials and that they were compelled to copy or sign them, despite allegedly having no knowledge of certain matters contained in the documents.

Some of the accused officers also told the court that they did not personally originate or write the statements attributed to them, alleging that they were forced to reproduce pre-written documents containing claims or admissions they considered false or unrelated to their knowledge.

The General Court Martial is presided over by Air Vice Marshal H.I. Alhaji of the Nigerian Air Force.

The proceedings are being conducted at the Scorpion Officers’ Mess in Asokoro, Abuja.

The court’s decision on the admissibility of the disputed statements is expected to determine whether the evidence can be relied upon in the ongoing proceedings.

A Flydubai passenger plane travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after its two pilots reportedly got into a physical fight in the cockpit.

The Boeing 737, operating as Flight FZ1073, was diverted to Tabuk in northwestern Saudi Arabia after transmitting emergency signals.

The aircraft first sent a general emergency signal before transmitting another indicating possible unlawful interference.

The signal triggered a security alert in Israel, with fighter jets reportedly scrambled over fears that the plane had been hijacked.

However, an Israeli official told Reuters that the signals were sent after the pilots became involved in a physical altercation.

The aircraft later landed safely at Tabuk airport.

Flydubai confirmed that an incident occurred and said all passengers were safe and accounted for.

Flight-tracking data showed the plane made a sharp descent before diverting to Saudi Arabia.

Passengers reportedly heard shouting from the cockpit, while Israeli media reported that one of the pilots may have been injured.

The circumstances surrounding the confrontation remain under investigation.

The aircraft was carrying about 150 passengers and was operating a regular Flydubai service between Dubai and Tel Aviv.

Israeli authorities said the situation was under control and arrangements were being made to return the passengers to Israel.

Retired police officers under the aegis of the Police Retired Officers Forum, Ogun State chapter, Tuesday staged a peaceful protest in Abeokuta, urging President Bola Tinubu to assent to the bill seeking to exempt police personnel from the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

The protesters said the proposed legislation, which has been passed by the National Assembly and transmitted to the President for assent, would pave the way for the establishment of a Police Pension Board to manage the pensions of retired police personnel.

They marched through parts of Abeokuta, carrying placards with inscriptions including, “Governor Dapo Abiodun, help us beg President Tinubu to exit us, please,” and “On total exit of the Nigeria Police Force from Contributory Pension Scheme and establishment of Police Pension Board, we stand.”

Speaking during the protest, the assistant coordinator of the forum in Ogun State, Oyekunle Oyetola, said the demonstration was part of the retirees’ sustained campaign for the Federal Government to remove the Nigeria Police Force from the CPS.

Oyetola lamented the impact of rising inflation and the increasing cost of food and healthcare on retired police officers, saying many retirees were struggling to meet their basic needs.

He said the financial difficulties had made it challenging for some retirees to afford adequate medical care, which he claimed had contributed to deaths among members of the group.

Oyetola questioned why the police had not been exempted from the CPS despite repeated protests by retired police officers.

He also argued that the police should be treated in the same manner as some other security agencies that have been excluded from the contributory pension arrangement.

According to him, the proposed Police Pension Board would provide a dedicated structure for managing the pensions and welfare of retired police personnel.

He urged Tinubu to assent to the bill, saying doing so would address some of the welfare concerns of serving and retired police officers and restore confidence in the pension system.

“We are using this protest to mark one year of our agitation. Since the National Assembly passed the bill, President Bola Tinubu is yet to assent to it.

“We are begging the President to sign the bill, remove us from PenCom and establish a Police Pension Board to take care of our pensions,” he said.

Oyetola added: “We want to exit the Contributory Pension Scheme because we believe it does not favour retired police officers, from senior officers down to constables.

“Our members are dying because they do not have enough money to feed themselves and take care of their medical bills.”