The majority of a panel of Supreme Court justices voted to convict the far-right former Brazilian leader of trying to overturn his election defeat to Lula da Silva in 2022. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison.

A panel of Brazilian Supreme Court justices on Thursday reached the majority of votes needed to convict former President Jair Bolsonaro of plotting a coup in 2022 after he lost the presidential election to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The right-wing populist was found guilty after three out of five Supreme Court justices voted to convict.

The court later sentenced him to 27 years in prison.

Justice Carmen Lucia, who issued the decisive third vote, framed the case as a “meeting between Brazil and its past, its present, and its future,” referring to previous attempts to overthrow democracy in the country’s history.

Lucia said there was enough evidence to demonstrate that Bolsonaro acted “with the purpose of eroding democracy and institutions.”

The judges voted to convict Bolsonaro of taking part in an armed criminal organization, attempting to violently abolish democracy, organizing a coup, and damaging government property and protected cultural assets.

The conviction will become final after the fifth judge, Lula’s former lawyer Cristiano Zanin, casts a vote. One judge has already voted to acquit.

What do we know about the charges against Bolsonaro?

On January 8, 2023, Bolsonaro supporters stormed several government buildings in the capital, Brasilia, just days after Lula’s inauguration.

In July, Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet said that Bolsonaro and seven others had taken part in an “armed criminal association” that sought to “violently overthrow the democratic order.”

The proceedings mark the first trial of a former Brazilian president on coup charges.

Case stokes divison

Bolsonaro is currently under house arrest, with Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes declaring him a “flight risk” late last month.

He remains a popular political figure in Brazil. On Sunday, tens of thousands of Bolsonaro’s supporters rallied in cities across the country.

Thousands of Bolsonaro’s supporters rallied in Sao Paulo on Sunday
© Nelson Almeida/AFP/Getty Images

The case against Bolsonaro has also inflamed tensions between the US and Brazil, with US President Donald Trump denouncing the case against his Brazilian ally as a “witch hunt” and imposing a 50% tariff on various Brazilian goods.

Brazilian President Lula has condemned Trump’s interference in the Brazilian legal system, calling it “unacceptable” and an attempt to undermine Brazil’s sovereignty.

Trump has faced similar charges of attempting to overturn election results after his own failed 2020 presidential bid.

Bolsonaro’s supporters see the charges against him as politicized and have welcomed Trump’s support.

Trump on Thursday called Bolsonaro’s coup conviction “very surprising.”

Edited by: Louis Oelofse

Author: Wesley Rahn (with AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters), Saim Dušan Inayatullah

One of the finest police officers in the Plateau State Police Command, identified as Inspector Lasare Jeremiah, has been killed by a mob after a suspect he arrested raised a false alarm claiming that the officer was a motorcycle thief.

According to the Command spokesperson, DSP Alabo Alfred, Inspector Jeremiah, who was attached to the Criminal Investigation Department, had been mandated to arrest a criminal suspect, Audu Abdullahi, who had been terrorizing residents of Nyakala community in Bassa Local Government Area of the state.

During the course of the arrest, the suspect reportedly raised an alarm that Inspector Jeremiah, who went to effect the arrest along with another police officer, was a motorcycle thief, leading to a mob descending on them and beating them to a pulp.

DSP Alfred, who confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday, said the incident occurred on Wednesday, September 10, 2025.

Clarifying the incident, the police spokesperson narrated that contrary to the earlier news that the victims were alleged motorcycle thieves, one was a police officer.

Speaking on the incident, the police spokesman said:

“On September 10, 2025, detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) were investigating a petition against one Audu Abdullahi, a resident of Kishika Village, Bassa.

“During the investigation, the detectives spotted the suspect riding a motorcycle along Binchi Village and trailed him to Nyakala Village, where they intercepted him.

“However, the suspect raised a false alarm, claiming the officers were motorcycle thieves, which led to a mob attacking one of our officers, Inspector Lasare Jeremiah.”

Alabo said when the mob realised their mistake, they turned on the suspect, attacking him aggressively. He noted that both the officer and the suspect were rushed to Cottage Hospital in Kisalloi, Bassa, where the officer succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment.

“The suspect was referred to Jos University Teaching Hospital, where he later died,” he said, adding that the incident is currently under investigation by the State CID in Jos, while the State Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Olugbemiga Adesina, has expressed grief over the incident and cautioned against mob actions.

No fewer than four shops have been ravaged by fire in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Ekwutosblog gathered that the incident occurred at Saki Garage, opposite Trans Amusement Park, Bodija area in Ibadan.

It was learnt that the fire incident started in the early hours of Friday.

Ekwutosblog gathered that the fire affected four (4) shops out of the eleven shops in the vicinity.

It was learnt that properties worth millions of naira have been affected as a result of the inferno.

Ekwutosblog gathered that no casualty was recorded in the incident.

The Chairman of Oyo State Fire Service, Hon. Maroof Akinwande, when contacted, confirmed the incident.

Akinwande made this revelation in a statement made available to Ekwutosblog on Friday.

He said that the inferno affected four shops.

He advised residents to report fire incidents and give the correct address to the agency.

“The fire incident was reported at exactly 02:07hrs on Friday, 12th September, 2025. Upon arrival, it was four (4) out of eleven (11) shops engulfed by fire and our officers swung into action and curtailed and restricted the fire from spreading to other nearby shops and buildings.

“No casualty was recorded and the remote cause of the fire was traced to lit embers left unattended after the close of shop in the night, which ignited nearby combustibles and set the place on fire.

“I advise the public to be conscious of fire,” he emphasized, “and I stressed the importance of having fire service emergency lines on our smartphones. I also urge every household to install fire extinguishers in their respective buildings in order to keep safe from imminent fire incidents.

“Report fire incidents and give correct address; contact our emergency lines: 08067439223, 08054353501 or 615. The officers from Amotekun Bódìjà Division were recognized for the security cover provided during the firefighting operation.”