Military investigators probing the alleged coup plot have reportedly traced a sum of N45 billion disbursed from the bank accounts of the Niger Delta Development Commission to certain politically exposed individuals and soldiers detained over the alleged conspiracy to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s government.
Earlier this month, Sahara Reporters revealed that 16 officers of the Nigerian Army had been detained for allegedly planning a coup d’état against President Bola Tinubu.
The online platform linked the supposed coup attempt to the Federal Government’s cancellation of Nigeria’s 65th Independence Day celebration.
However, the military, through a statement issued by the Director of Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau dismissed the claim that the detention of the 16 officers was connected to a failed coup plot.
Recent Reports
Multiple reports on Tuesday indicated that operatives of the Nigerian Army raided the Abuja residence of former Bayelsa State governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, as part of the ongoing Defence Intelligence Agency investigation into the alleged coup plot.
Following this discovery, Defence Intelligence Agency operatives questioned several senior NDDC officials regarding the source, beneficiaries, and utilisation of the funds.
The development has triggered apprehension within the NDDC headquarters due to suspected links between the commission’s funds and the alleged financing of subversive activities.
The Federal Government has also denied the existence of any coup plot against President Tinubu’s administration. The Defence Headquarters described the reports of a coup attempt as “false, misleading, and malicious,” clarifying that the 16 detained military officers were being investigated for professional misconduct rather than involvement in any coup plan.
Although details of the interrogation of NDDC officials remain unclear, investigators are said to be examining a series of high-value transactions conducted in recent months allegedly tied to politically exposed individuals.
Among these is a shoreline project valued at N45 billion, awarded to a former South-South governor, with portions of the funds allegedly traced to the bank accounts of some detained officers.
Security sources familiar with the investigation confirmed that the questioning of the NDDC executives formed “part of a broader intelligence-based inquiry into the movement of public funds.”
Sources within the NDDC revealed that many senior officials are uneasy, fearing that the situation could lead to a wider probe of the commission’s financial records.
They admitted that the summons of top executives had generated widespread anxiety among high-ranking officials.
According to an insider who requested anonymity, “Since the news broke about the interrogation of the top shots, the atmosphere here has been uneasy. Many directors are being cautious about their movements and communications.”
Some executive directors who share close administrative relationships with the implicated top officials are said to be worried about the unfolding situation.
The development has fuelled speculation within the commission, with staff expressing fears that the ongoing probe might expand and implicate additional senior officers.
When contacted, the NDDC spokesperson, Seledi Thompson-Wakama, declined to comment on the interrogation of the commission’s officials.
Meanwhile, Timipre Sylva has denied any involvement in the alleged coup plot.
His Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Chief Julius Bokoru, said the rumour was the work of “desperate and self-seeking politicians trying to actualise their ambitions in 2027.”
On Wednesday, it was reported that operatives of the Defence Intelligence Agency raided Sylva’s Abuja home as part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged plot to forcibly change the government.
During the raid, which occurred on Saturday, operatives arrested Sylva’s younger brother, Paga, who serves as his Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs, along with his driver.
The former Bayelsa governor and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress was reportedly outside the country at the time of the operation.
Bokoru disclosed that the operatives did not seize any items from Sylva’s Abuja residence during the raid, adding that both men taken into custody remain detained.
He stated that no reason was provided for the raid and clarified that Sylva’s residence in Yenagoa was not searched by security operatives.
He confirmed that Sylva and his wife, Alanyingi, were both out of the country at the time of the incident.
Explaining their absence, Bokoru said Sylva was in the United Kingdom for routine medical checks and was scheduled to travel to Malaysia to attend “a professional conference.”
He said, “It’s not true. It is the handiwork of people in the state APC who are concerned about their governorship ambition in 2027,” he stated.
“Those doing this are in the state APC. It is about the 2027 governorship ambition. They are appointees of the Federal Government, and instead of focusing on their work, they are playing local toxic politics.
‘’Such wicked politicians took their desperation to a nauseating level following Sylva’s intimidating political presence and credibility that had continued to expose their self-serving ambitions and evil agenda.”
Bokoru also confirmed that Sylva’s driver and younger brother, Paga, who were taken away during the raid on Saturday, were still in custody.
He reiterated that the Defence Headquarters operatives did not remove anything from Sylva’s Abuja residence during the operation.
However, a close associate of Sylva revealed that several sections of the house were damaged during the raid.
He said, “Expensive doors were destroyed while a number of other household appliances were ransacked and scattered during the raid, but nothing incriminating was found.”
He dismissed claims that the Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, was linked to Sylva as part of the alleged coup plot.
Ogbuku, who served as Chief of Staff to Sylva during his tenure as Bayelsa governor, denied being arrested. In a brief message to the reporter, he said, “I’m not aware of such. Just the way you are seeing it is the same way I’m seeing it, too, on social media.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Bokoru released a statement titled ‘Setting the record straight on recent false reports about Sylva’, refuting the former minister’s alleged involvement in the coup plot.
He maintained that his principal had no role in the planning or logistics of any coup attempt.
The statement read, “In the past 48 hours, I have been inundated with calls from members of the press, political associates, and concerned individuals regarding a circulating report alleging that His Excellency, Chief Timipre Sylva, has ‘fled’ the country in connection with certain purported matters.
“For the avoidance of doubt, it is true that the residence of His Excellency, Chief Timipre Sylva, was recently subjected to a raid by individuals believed to be operatives of the Defence Headquarters. During the said operation, considerable damage was inflicted upon the property.
“Despite sustained efforts, I have been unable to ascertain the reasons or authorisation for this raid. To the best of my knowledge, the officers involved did not provide any categorical explanation for their actions, either at the time or subsequently.
“It is important to state unequivocally that His Excellency, Chief Timipre Sylva, CON, and his esteemed wife, Her Excellency, Alanyingi Sylva, were both outside the country at the time of the incident.
“As at my last communication with His Excellency, he was engaged in a routine medical check-up in the United Kingdom, after which he was scheduled to proceed to Malaysia to attend a professional conference.
“The next development I was made aware of, regrettably, were reports circulating across social media and other platforms concerning the raid on his residence.
“While the Defence Headquarters has already debunked the swirling rumours of a coup in Nigeria, it is important to state emphatically that Chief Timipre Sylva, CON, has no involvement whatsoever—either in planning or in logistics—with any such plot.
“Chief Sylva is a thoroughbred democrat, whose entire political journey has been defined by his faith in democratic processes and institutions. From the 1990s, when he was first elected into the Old Rivers State House of Assembly, to his tenure as Governor of Bayelsa State, Sylva has achieved every milestone through transparent, democratic engagement and the will of the people.’’
The statement further added, “His unwavering support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a matter of public record. It remains fresh in memory how he mobilised the entire Bayelsa APC structure to unanimously endorse President Tinubu at the APC Bayelsa Expanded Stakeholders’ Meeting.
“These rumours are nothing more than the handiwork of desperate and narcissistic politicians, already consumed by ambitions for 2027, who see Sylva as their last real obstacle—a man whose political presence and credibility continue to expose their dark, self-serving ambitions.”
