A masked military witness on Wednesday told the Federal High Court that former Bayelsa State governor Timipre Sylva had financial links to an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu, as the treason trial of six suspects opened in Abuja.
Testifying before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, the witness—identified only as “AAA,” an operative of the Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police—said investigations uncovered “elaborate plans” for a coup involving both military officers and civilians.
AAA told the court that the probe began after the then Chief of Army Staff, Gen. O. O. Oluyede, received intelligence indicating that Col. M. A. Ma’aji and others were planning a takeover. Ma’aji was subsequently arrested, and his Samsung phone and personal documents were seized.
According to the witness, entries in Ma’aji’s jotter contained operational plans, including names of top officials marked for assassination, as well as proposals for political and structural changes after the planned takeover.
“Forensic analysis of the phone revealed links between Ma’aji, serving officers, and the defendants before the court,” AAA said, adding that investigators also uncovered financial trails connecting Ma’aji, Sylva, and some of the accused persons.
The court heard that funds were channelled through a company, Purple Wave Ltd, allegedly used to finance the plot. Financial records obtained with assistance from the EFCC showed multiple transactions between September and October 2025, including payments of N100 million, N50 million, N80 million, N70 million, and N90 million on various dates.
Although one of the transactions was described as payment for debris clearing, the witness said investigators concluded the funds were used to advance the coup plan.
AAA further testified that meetings were held at Green Land Apartment and BrookVille Hotel in Abuja, where participants allegedly discussed “regime change,” shared roles, and mapped out execution strategies, including targeting Niger Barracks and seizing major roads.
“They also allocated positions among themselves and discussed agencies to be created or merged after the coup,” the witness said.
He added that some defendants engaged in consultations and received funds with knowledge of the plot, while investigators also recovered vehicles allegedly being modified for operational use.
The prosecution, led by Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, tendered financial documents, extracts from Ma’aji’s phone, and a flash drive containing audio-visual statements of the defendants. The defence objected to the admissibility of the recordings, prompting the court to order that they be served on all parties before use.
Earlier, officials from Jaiz Bank, SunTrust Bank, and Providus Bank testified, and the court admitted account statements linked to one of the defendants, Abdulkadir Sani, as well as those of Purple Wave Ltd and A & A Express Link.
The six defendants are standing trial on treason charges linked to the alleged conspiracy involving serving military personnel and civilians.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the case to May 4 and 5 for continuation of hearing.