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A prosecution witness in the alleged coup trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday told the court that investigations uncovered financial links between former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, and individuals accused of plotting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s government.
Sylva, who also served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources under former President Muhammadu Buhari, was mentioned in the proceedings although he is not listed as one of the defendants. Court documents, however, identified him as being at large.
The witness, a soldier from the Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police (NACMP), testified as the fourth prosecution witness under witness protection and was identified only as “AAA.”
Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, the witness said the investigation began after the Chief of Army Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, received intelligence reports alleging that Colonel M. A. Ma’aji and others were planning to topple the democratically elected government.
According to him, the intelligence was carefully analysed and found credible, prompting the military high command to order a full-scale investigation.
He said investigators arrested Col. Ma’aji, searched his residence and recovered a Samsung Galaxy phone, a jotter containing strategic plans, and other incriminating materials.
The witness told the court that the jotter contained operational plans for the alleged coup, including names and designations of senior government officials and military officers marked for assassination.
He added that the document also outlined political and structural changes intended to be implemented after the planned takeover.
Further forensic analysis of Ma’aji’s phone, he said, exposed deeper links among the accused persons and revealed financial transactions connecting some of them to Timipre Sylva.
“We found financial trails between Col. Ma’aji, former Governor Timipre Sylva, and some of the defendants before this court,” the witness stated.
He further disclosed that investigators uncovered coded communication among the alleged plotters and evidence showing that money was paid to some of the accused to facilitate the coup plan.
The witness also identified Purple Wave Ltd as one of the companies allegedly used as a conduit for financing the plot.
He said records supplied by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) showed several suspicious debit transactions from the company’s account between September and October 2025.
The transactions included multiple withdrawals ranging from N50 million to N100 million, with a cumulative value running into several hundreds of millions of naira.
Although some of the payments were officially described as project-related expenses such as “clearing of debris along the coastal corridor,” the witness said investigations showed the funds were instead diverted to support the coup activities.
He also testified that several planning meetings were held at locations including Green Land Apartment and BrookVille Hotel in Abuja, where anti-government discussions allegedly took place.
According to him, the conspirators agreed there was a need for “regime change,” mapped out strategic targets including military barracks and key roads, and assigned roles among themselves for the execution of the operation.
He said they also discussed appointments to be made after the takeover, including the creation and merger of government agencies.
The witness added that some of the accused participated in spiritual consultations and divination in preparation for the plot and received money for those activities.
Vehicles allegedly intended for operational use were also recovered from workshops where they were being modified for what he described as “kinetic purposes.”
During the proceedings, the prosecution tendered documents from BrookVille Hotel, including receipts for hotel reservations allegedly linked to the meetings.
Although defence lawyers objected to the admissibility of the documents, Justice Abdulmalik admitted them into evidence and directed that reasons for the objections be addressed during final arguments.
Extracts from Col. Ma’aji’s phone were also admitted, while the court ordered the prosecution to serve the defence with audiovisual recordings of the defendants’ statements before any flash drive containing the recordings could be played in open court.
Earlier, the prosecution called compliance officers from Jaiz Bank and SunTrust Bank, as well as a legal officer from Providus Bank, who tendered account statements linked to the sixth defendant, Abdulkadir Sani, Purple Wave Ltd, and A & A Express Link.
The six defendants standing trial are retired Major-General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni, and Abdulkadir Sani.
They face a 13-count charge bordering on treason, terrorism financing, money laundering, and failure to disclose security intelligence.
All six defendants pleaded not guilty when they were arraigned on April 22.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned further hearing to May 4 and May 5, when the fourth prosecution witness is expected to continue his testimony.
