By TAIYE AGBAJE

The Federal Government’s witness on Wednesday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that investigations revealIed that ex-Gov. Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa had financial link with the suspected coup plotters.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sylva was also the former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources in the late ex-President Muhammadu Buhari government.

The witness, a soldier from the Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police (NACMP), gave details of how the alleged coup plot was uncovered while being led in evidence by Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.

The witness, who testified under protection as 4th prosecution witness, said he knew all the six defendants.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Government had filed a 13-count charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026, against the defendants.

The suspects are retired Maj-Gen. Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Capt. (NN) Erasmus Ochegobia Victor , Insp Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni and Abdulkadir Sani, listed as 1st to 6th defendants respectively.

Although former Minister Sylva is not named as a defendant in the charge, he is listed as being at large.

The defendants were accused of alleged treason and terrorism, including failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing, among other charges.

The defendants, who were arraigned on April 22, pleaded not guilty to all the counts.

Giving his evidence, the witness, whose identity was shielded and identified as “AAA,” said he was part of the team that investigated the case after the then Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General O. O. Oluyede, received the intelligent report that Colonel M. A. Ma’aji and some others were plotting to overthrow the democratically elected government of Bola Tinubu.

He said upon receiving the intelligence report by the then COAS, it was analysed, processed and found credible, before he (the COAS) gave a directive to his team to investigate the allegations in the report.

The witness said his team proceeded to arrest Col. Ma’aji, recovered his Samsung Galaxy phone, conducted search in his residence and recovered a jotter, among other items.

He said the jotter contained among others, operational plans, names and designations of ranking members of the current regime as well as officers that were to be assassinated in the course of the coup.

“Inside the jotter, we also found information about political and structural changes that were to be made upon the execution of the coup,” he said.

He said when the phone recovered from Col. Ma’aji was sent for forensic analysis, the result disclosed elaborate plans and links between Col Ma’aji, some of the officers involved in the plot and the defendants.

“We also found financial trails between Ma’aji, former Governor Timipre Sylva and some of the defendants here before the court.

“Also, inside the phone, we found code words known among the plotters , including some of the defendants before this court.”

“We also observed financial trails between some of the defendants and Col. M. A. Ma’aji.

“Monies were paid to some of the defendants in pursuit of the coup plot,” he said.

The witness added that in the course of investigation, they came across a company called Purple Wave, which he claimed “is one of the companies used as a conduit to sponsor the coup plot.”

He stated that his team also came about the financial records of Purple Wave, which he later analysed when handed a copy of the company’s account statement earlier tendered in evidence by the prosecution.

He said the financial records of the company was provided by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), the agency that investigated the financial transactions.

Oyedepo later took the witness through the account statement of Purple Wave, in which he identified how funds were allegedly disbursed for the purpose of the alleged coup.

The witness said two entries of Sept. 19, 2025 showed a debit transaction of N100 million and another N50 million debit transaction.

He said on Sept. 22, 2025, there were two debit transactions of N100 million and N50 million; on Sept. 24, 2025, N100 million and N50 million; on Sept. 26, 2025, N80 million; on Sept. 29, 2025, N70 million; on Sept. 30, 2025, N90 million and on Oct. 2, 2025, N90 million.

The witness said, although the transactions carried narrations of what the funds were meant for, investigation revealed that the money was used for the coup plot.

He said while the first debit entry of N100 million was described as part payment for clearing of debris along the coastal corridor to Purpose Wave, investigators found that it was not used for that purpose, but dispensed in pursuit of the coup plot.

The witness said his team found out that several meetings were held in pursuit of the plot to overthrow the current government in places like Green Land Apartment and BrookVille Hotel in Abuja.

He said his team also found that in the meetings, anti-government rhetoric was exchanged.

“They discussed negative things about the government and concluded that there was the need for a regime change.”

The witness said the alleged plotters drew a plan for execution of the coup and identified key officers in the government and also identified the officers, who would assassinate them.

He said the alleged coup plotters also identified key targets to be attacked, including the Niger barracks where senior military officers live, adding that there were also plans to take over some key roads and streets when the coup was being executed.

The witness said: “The plotters also shared appointments among themselves, including agencies to be set up and those to be merged after the coup.

“The plotters also did extensive consultation and divination, in which some of the defendants took part, knowing that a coup was ongoing.

“They received money for these purposes.

“They also bought vehicles, which were recovered from shops where they were being retrofitted for kinetic purposes.”

He said in the course of investigation, they sighted the hotels and the rooms and spaces where the meetings were held, adding “we also recovered receipts used for payment for hotel reservations.”

At that point, Oyedepo applied to tender a letter from BrookVille Hotel and attached documents, which include the payment receipts.

Lawyers to the defendants objected to the admissibility of the documents, but said they would provide reasons at the final address stage, following which Justice Abdulmalik admitted the documents in evidence.

Oyedepo also tendered extracts from the phone recovered from Col. Ma’aji, which the court also admitted in evidence.

The witness said the defendants volunteered written statements before the special investigative panel set up, adding that the statement taking sessions were also audio visually recorded.

He said they also made voluntary written statements before the Military Police, which was also captured on video.

The witness said it was only Abdulkadir Sani (the sixth defendant), who was the last to be arrested, that did not make his statement before the special investigative panel, but did so before the Military Police.

Oyedepo then applied to tender a flash drive containing the audio visual recordings of the statement taking sessions, a move that was opposed by lawyers to the defendants.

One of the defence lawyers, Paul Erokoro, SAN, objected on the grounds that the device was not front loaded, a claim Oyedepo conceded, promoting the judge to insist that the prosecution must serve the defence with the audio visual recordings before they could be played in court.

Earlier, the prosecution called two compliance officers from Jaiz Bank and SunTrust Bank.

It also called a legal officer from Providus Bank.

The prosecution tendered through the 1st prosecutiin witness (PW-1), Munahura Anas, a Compliance Officer with Jaiz Bank, documents, including statements of account in relation to an account owned by the sixth defendant, Abdulkadir Sani.

It also tendered through the PW-2, Taiwo Adeola Wellington, a Compliance Officer with SunTrust Bank, documents relating to an account maintained by Purple Wave Ltd.

The prosecution equally tendered through the PW-3, Gideon Elijah, a Legal Officer from Providus Bank, documents, including account statements relating to an account owned by a firm, A & A Express Link.

The first three witnesses from the banks were cross-examined by the defence lawyers.

Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter until May 4 and May 5 at 11 am during which the PW-4 will resume his testimony. (NAN)

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