Daniel Otera
Fresh tension is brewing in Nigeria’s political and security circles as military investigators intensify a high-level probe into an alleged plot to unseat President Bola Tinubu through unconstitutional means. At the centre of the storm is a Managing Director of a Federal Government agency in the South-South, who is currently being interrogated over a suspicious financial transaction linked to former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva.
According to intelligence sources, the MD, whose identity remains undisclosed, allegedly transferred a substantial sum of money to Sylva. Investigators suspect the funds were intended to bankroll the purported coup plot.
“The MD transferred a huge sum of money to Sylva. Investigators are working on the theory that the fund transfer was connected to the coup. He is presently answering questions about what the money was meant for,” one officer disclosed.
The development has triggered a wider security operation. On Saturday, military operatives reportedly stormed Sylva’s Abuja residence, arresting his younger brother, Paga who serves as his Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs and his driver. The former Bayelsa State governor and All Progressives Congress stalwart was said to be abroad at the time of the raid.
Sources familiar with the operation revealed that Sylva had been planning a return to Nigeria but changed course after learning that several alleged coup plotters had been apprehended. “Sylva was abroad and was preparing to leave for Nigeria when he got wind of the arrest of the coup leaders. So, he stayed back,” a source said.
Efforts to reach the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen Markus Kangye, and the Director of Defence Information, Brig-Gen Tukur Gusau, were unsuccessful as both officials reportedly declined to respond to calls.
However, in a statement issued earlier on 4 October, Gusau confirmed that 16 military officers had been detained for “issues of indiscipline and breach of service regulations.” He explained that the arrests followed a routine military exercise and that the detained officers’ grievances were largely tied to “perceived career stagnation caused by repeated failure in promotion examinations.”
Despite the official explanation, online platform SaharaReporters alleged that the officers ranging from the rank of Captain to Brigadier General were being held by the Defence Intelligence Agency over an alleged coup plot. The report claimed the officers were arrested at various locations across the country and had been holding clandestine meetings to plan the overthrow of the government.
“The 16 officers were planning a coup. The military authorities were just being diplomatic in the statement released by the spokesperson,” the platform quoted an unnamed source as saying.
The unfolding investigation has cast a shadow over the country’s political stability, raising questions about internal dissent within the military and the broader implications for national security. While no formal charges have been announced, the gravity of the allegations has sparked widespread concern.