COUP ALLEGATION:: Military Uncovers N45bn Trail Linked To NDDC Accounts.

Army.

Military investigators examining the alleged coup plot have reportedly uncovered a money trail amounting to N45 billion, traced from the Niger Delta Development Commission’s bank accounts to certain politically exposed persons and soldiers detained over the supposed plan to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Earlier this month, Sahara Reporters disclosed that 16 Nigerian Army officers had been detained for allegedly plotting a coup d’état to remove President Bola Tinubu from power.

The publication linked the alleged plot to the Federal Government’s decision to cancel Nigeria’s 65th Independence Day celebration.

However, the military, in a statement issued by the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, dismissed the report, clarifying that the arrest of the 16 military officers was unrelated to any failed coup attempt.

Recent reports indicated that some Nigerian Army personnel, on Tuesday, raided the Abuja residence of former Bayelsa State governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, in connection with the ongoing Defence Intelligence Agency investigation into the alleged coup plot.

Following the discovery, investigators from the Defence Intelligence Agency questioned several senior officials of the Niger Delta Development Commission concerning the origin of the funds, their beneficiaries, and how they were utilised.

This development has sparked tension within the NDDC headquarters amid claims linking the commission’s finances to the funding of subversive activities.

The Federal Government has also refuted the claims of a coup plot against President Tinubu’s administration. The Defence Headquarters described the reports as “false, misleading, and malicious,” adding that the 16 detained officers were being investigated for professional misconduct rather than an attempted coup.

While full details of the interrogation of the NDDC officials remain unclear, investigators are reportedly scrutinising several large transactions carried out in recent months, allegedly connected to politically exposed persons.

Among these is a shoreline project worth N45 billion, awarded to a former South-South governor, with parts of the funds allegedly traced to the bank accounts of some detained soldiers.

Security sources familiar with the ongoing investigation confirmed that the questioning of the NDDC’s top officials 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 the development could trigger a wider investigation into the commission’s financial activities.

They admitted that the interrogation of the top executives had generated widespread anxiety among directors and senior management staff.

According to an insider who spoke on condition of 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 with close administrative ties to the questioned officials are said to be particularly worried about the unfolding situation.

The incident has generated speculation within the commission, with staff expressing concerns that the probe might expand and implicate additional senior personnel.

The NDDC spokesperson, Seledi Thompson-Wakama, declined to comment when asked about the questioning of the commission’s officials.

Meanwhile, former Bayelsa State governor Timipre Sylva has denied any involvement in the alleged coup plot.

His Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Chief Julius Bokoru, described the rumour as the handiwork 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 had raided Sylva’s Abuja residence as part of the investigation into the alleged coup plot.

During the raid, which occurred on Saturday, Sylva’s younger brother, Paga, who serves as his Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs, and his driver were both arrested.

The former Bayelsa governor and All Progressives Congress chieftain was said to be outside the country during the operation.

Bokoru stated that the operatives did not remove any items from Sylva’s Abuja residence during the raid but confirmed that the two detained men have yet to be released.

He said no reason was provided for the operation and clarified that Sylva’s Yenagoa home was not raided.

He confirmed that both Sylva and his wife, Alanyingi, were out of the country at the time.

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 further stated that Sylva’s driver and his younger brother, Paga, who were taken away during the raid, have not yet been released from custody.

He reiterated that the Defence operatives did not remove anything from Sylva’s Abuja residence.

However, a close associate of Sylva revealed that several parts 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 linking the Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, to Sylva in the alleged coup plot.

Ogbuku, who previously served as Sylva’s Chief of Staff when he was 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 issued a statement titled ‘Setting the record straight on recent false reports about Sylva’, in which he denied his principal’s involvement in the alleged coup plot.

He insisted that Sylva had no role, either in the planning or logistics, of any such plot.

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 continued, “His unwavering support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a matter of public record. It remains fresh in memory how he mobilized 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.”