Loading ...ABUJA — The Department of State Services (DSS) has officially arraigned five Nigerians before the Federal High Court in Abuja for allegedly concealing the whereabouts of former Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Timipre Sylva. The former minister is currently the subject of an intense manhunt after being named as the principal financier of a dismantled coup plot against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
The defendants—identified as Reuben Ayuba, Musa Mohammed, Friday Paul, Paganengigha Anagaha, and Ayebaifife Suobite—were brought before the court following roughly six months in security custody. Operatives initially swept in on the suspects at Sylva’s Abuja residence when the former governor himself could not be found.
Appearing before the court, the five domestic aides and workers pleaded not guilty to the operational charges of criminal conspiracy and intentional concealment of a fugitive.
Anatomy of a Dismantled Insurrection
The arraignment sheds more light on what intelligence agencies describe as one of the most severe threats to Nigeria’s current democratic dispensations.
According to comprehensive military and DSS investigative logs leaked earlier, the suspected coup conspirators had mapped out an aggressive, violent strategy. The network, which allegedly involved up to 40 suspects including senior military officials like Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and Brigadier General M.A. Sadiq, had planned to:
- Storm the Seat of Power: Overrun and seize the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the nation’s most fortified political stronghold.
- Target National Leadership: Capture and potentially eliminate President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
- Secure Logistics: Take full tactical control of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and key military signal installations.
Investigators allege that the plotters initially aimed to disrupt the May 29, 2023, presidential inauguration but suspended the operation due to logistical deficits. The plans were reportedly reactivated after Chief Timipre Sylva allegedly funneled a massive ₦785 million contribution through an Abuja-based construction firm, Purple Waves Limited, to bankroll arms procurement and operational transit.
Technical Metrics: Seized Insurrection Assets
The scale of the conspiracy is underscored by the heavy military hardware and specialized equipment already recovered by state intelligence from various lieutenant colonels and civilian logistics managers tied to the ring.
| Seized Asset Class | Volume / Type | Alleged Purpose within Plot |
| Tactical Weaponry | RPG bombs, Anti-Aircraft guns, PKT guns, AK-47 rifles | Designed to breach the Guard Brigade defenses protecting the Presidential Villa. |
| Heavy Armored Mobility | 2 Gun trucks | Suppressing immediate reinforcement responses from internal security units. |
| Covert Operational Fleet | 32 Volkswagen Golf cars, 4 Toyota Hilux trucks | Disguised deployment of ground operatives into high-security zones across Abuja. |
Legal Fireworks and the “Fugitive” Defense
The defense team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Michael Numa, has pushed back aggressively against the continuous detention of the aides. The defense argued that the initial 60-day remand order obtained by the DSS under the Terrorism Prevention Act had long expired, making their clients’ ongoing 171-day detention without formal trial a gross violation of constitutional liberties.
Furthermore, political allies of the former governor under the aegis of the Centre for Justice and Equity (CJE) have dismissed the entire coup-financing narrative as a fabricated political hit job. They maintain that local political actors within Bayelsa State are weaponizing national security to settle partisan scores ahead of future regional electoral shifts.
Sylva, who has remained outside Nigeria since his Abuja residence was raided, issued a remote statement claiming he left the country for medical check-ups in the United Kingdom and professional engagements in Malaysia, denying any hand in the unconstitutional plot. With the formal arraignment of his domestic staff now under way in Abuja, the Federal Government’s legal machinery is clearly sending a signal that it intends to squeeze the former minister’s closest circles until the principal suspect is brought to book.
