New Details on How Sylva’s Alleged Coup Money Was Distributed

New information has come out about how former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva’s alleged financial support for the failed coup plot in 2025 was shared among those involved in the plan.

Military investigators say that Mr Sylva, who is seen as the main financier, sent his contributions through Purple Waves Limited. This Abuja-based company is involved in real estate, land deals, and construction.

From the company’s account, the money went to a bureau de change operator, Abdullahi Sani Mohammed. He distributed the funds as directed by 50-year-old Army Colonel Mohammed Ma’aji, a key figure in the coup plot.

Reports indicate that Mr Mohammed received N785 million from Mr Sylva’s donations through Purple Waves Limited’s account, which was meant for the coup plan. The account had over N5 billion when the disbursements for the alleged coup planning began in September 2025.

Documents prepared for the prosecution of those involved show that the BDC operator made 47 payments to various individuals involved in the coup preparations in the last 11 days of September last year. Records show that over N700 million was transferred to individuals and groups from 10 to 30 September 2025, just as the planned coup dates approached.

The two main dates that insiders were eyeing before the plan fell apart were 1 October, Nigeria’s Independence Day, and 4 October. An earlier date, 27 September, was also part of the discussions but passed before the conspiracy collapsed.

The coup was reportedly aimed at toppling President Bola Tinubu’s government and restoring military rule. The plan fell apart when Mr Ma’aji was arrested on 29 September 2025.

For days, many in the alleged coup network did not know that Mr Ma’aji had been caught. Mr Mohammed, the BDC operator, kept transferring money to those involved based on Mr Ma’aji’s orders even after the arrest, up until 30 September.

He also continued to receive transfers from Purple Waves Limited for disbursement until 2 October. Mr Mohammed, who is 48 and operates in Kano, told investigators about his long-standing business relationship with Mr Ma’aji before the transactions started.

He provided details on their past foreign exchange dealings in his statement. "Sometimes, Oga Ma’aji will call me to ask for a dollar price. If he asks me, I’ll tell him. Sometimes, he will ask if he can buy $1,000 or $3,000. Sometimes, he will ask for $10,000 or $9,000."

"Sometimes, Ma’aji can sell dollars to me like $10,000, $7,000 and $20,000. Sometimes $600 or $300 or $1,000 or $8,000. The big amount Ma’aji sold to me was $40,000 and $50,000," he stated during his interrogation.

The dealings then shifted to the Purple Wave transactions in September 2025. Mr Ma’aji assured Mr Sylva, who was Minister of State for Petroleum under former President Muhammadu Buhari, that the BDC operator would not know the purpose of the funds.

Investigators found that Mr Mohammed used bank accounts of his businesses, including Express Link, ASA Multipurpose Concept, and LUJI Trade & Investment Ltd. He recalled that the first major transfers came in two parts of N150 million each into his A&A Express Link account at Providus Bank.

"Oga Ma’aji called me around 18 September (2025). He told me his people will pay money into the account. As I checked the account, I saw N150,000,000 in A&A Express in Providus Bank."

"He sent me a voice note on WhatsApp directing me to pay N10,000,000 into his First Bank account. Later, I received another N150,000,000 in the same Providus account, making it N300,000," he wrote.

Two days later, he said, another N100 million was paid into his second business account, LUJI Trade and Investment, at Fidelity Bank. He noted that this was followed by more transfers of N50 million, N100 million, and another N50 million.

"All these were paid into my LUJI Trade and Investment account in Fidelity Bank," Mr Mohammed said. He confirmed receiving money transferred from Purple Waves Limited’s account at SunTrust Bank.

Mr Mohammed said he received a total of N785 million from Purple Waves Limited between 20 September and 2 October 2025. "Later he (Ma’aji) called me to his house in Lokogoma (in Abuja) to calculate some money that I paid into people’s accounts. He brought out his paper and his list to show me and tell me to buy $5,000 to bring to his house," he wrote.

Making sure the money reached the right people was the BDC operator’s main job in the alleged plot. Mr Ma’aji would tell him who to send money to and how much to send.

Bank records and Mr Mohammed’s statement show that recipients included active and retired military officers, Muslim clerics sought for spiritual support, and others with civilian roles.

Among the military personnel was Shamsudeen Bappah, a lieutenant colonel assigned to seize and hold 102 Battalion, Zuma, Niger State, who allegedly received N5 million on 27 September 2025. Felix Sunday Stephen, a lieutenant tasked with surveying the airport in Lagos, received N5 million on 23 September 2025.

Another lieutenant, Aminu John, was allegedly paid N10 million on 22 September 2025. Mundi Usman, an army major leading the operation at the Presidential Aso Villa, supposedly received N10 million on 23 September 2025.

Squadron Leader Zuzu Noel Goddy from the Nigerian Air Force, who was meant to deploy squadron gun trucks to block flights in Abuja during the takeover, allegedly received N1 million on 28 September 2025. Another Squadron Leader, Sani Bubara Adamu, tasked with seizing the Air House, supposedly got N1 million on 25 September 2025. Military investigators say Mr Adamu is currently on the run.

Other alleged recipients included former Captain Abubakar Mohammed, who reportedly got N5 million on 29 September 2025; Corporal Aliyu Ibrahim, who allegedly received N5 million on the same day; and Warrant Officer Nasiru Ibrahim, who supposedly received N5 million on 28 September 2025.

Documents showed the roles of some of these officers who were paid through the BDC operator. Investigators also found transfers to corporate accounts, indicating some recipients used business names to receive the funds.

For instance, the BDC operator reportedly transferred N10.3 million to Cutzbytz Cakes on 22 September 2025. The same account received another N20 million on 26 September 2025 and N1.2 million on 27 September 2025.

A Muslim cleric, Goni Bukar, was also listed among the beneficiaries. He allegedly received N10 million on 20 September 2025, followed by N20 million on 23 September and another N20 million on 29 September 2025, totaling about N50 million.

Mr Mohammed said he distributed more than N700 million to various beneficiaries as instructed by Mr Ma’aji. Reports say undisbursed funds were recovered from him by the Nigerian Army after his arrest.

Here is the breakdown of the transfers the BDC operator allegedly made to those involved:

• N10 million was first sent to Mr Ma’aji on 20 September 2025.
• N10 million was sent to Imam Goni Bukar on 20 September 2025.
• N7 million was sent to Mustapha Garba on 20 September 2025.
• N5.5 million was sent to Stephen Kanabe on 21 September 2025.
• N8 million was sent to Fatima Musa on 22 September 2025.
• N5 million was sent to Ma’aji Alhassan on 22 September 2025.
• N4 million was sent to Nancy Sabanti Nattan on 22 September 2025.
• N10.3 million was sent to Cutzbytz Cakes on 22 September 2025.
• N10 million was sent to John Aminu on 22 September 2025.
• N32 million was sent to Co-fran Spinfluence on 23 September 2025.
• N3.5 million was sent to Aduko Engineering Services on 23 September 2025.
• N2 million was sent to Sani Abdulkadir on 23 September 2025.
• N20 million was sent to Imam Goni Bukar on 23 September 2025.
• N10 million was sent to Usman Mundi on 23 September 2025.
• N5 million was sent to Felix Sunday Stephen on 23 September 2025.
• N40 million was sent to Alhaji Abubakar Maliki on 23 September 2025.
• N2 million was sent to Gana Mohammed on 22 September 2025.
• N1.55 million was sent to Matilda Rozi Ltd on 24 September 2025.
• N10 million was sent to Schutmann Nig Ltd on 24 September 2025.
• N10.9 million was sent to Ezemenike Chinedu Stephen on 24 September 2025.
• N4 million was sent to Mr Ma’aji on 24 September 2025.
• N15 million was sent to Alhaji Abubakar Maliki on 24 September 2025.
• N12 million was sent to Felix Sunday Stephen on 25 September 2025.
• N10 million was sent to Usman Mundi Adamu on 25 September 2025.
• N5 million was sent to Musa Muhammad Adamu on 25 September 2025.
• N5 million was sent to Abdulkareem Jibrin on 25 September 2025.
• N10 million was sent to Ma’aji on 25 September 2025.
• N15 million was sent to Overere Services Ltd on 25 September 2025.
• N1 million was sent to Adamu Sani Bubara on 25 September 2025.
• N5 million was sent to Ma’aji Alhassan on 26 September 2025.
• N20 million was sent to Cutzbyt Cakes on 26 September 2025.
• N1.2 million was sent to Cutzbyt Cakes on 27 September 2025.
• N46.5 million was sent to Ahmed Abdulganiyu, an auto dealer, on 27 September 2025.
• N5 million was sent to Shamsudeen Bappah on 27 September 2025.
• N10 million was sent to Ma’aji Alhassan on 27 September 2025.
• N1 million was sent to Zuzu Noel Goddy on 28 September 2025.
• N5 million was sent to Nasiru Biyabiki Ibrahim on 28 September 2025.
• N17.5 million was sent to Christopher Elube on 28 September 2025.
• N5 million was sent to Usman Mundi on 28 September 2025.
• N18.5 million was sent to Christopher Elube on 28 September 2025.
• N1 million was sent to Adamu Saidu on 28 September 2025.
• N2 million was sent to Muhammad Lawan Muhammad on 28 September 2025.
• N5 million was sent to Muhammad Abubakar on 28 September 2025.
• N20 million was sent to Imam Goni Bukar on 29 September 2025.
• N17 million was sent to Muhammad Sani Adamu on 29 September 2025.
• N5 million was sent to Aliyu Ibrahim on 29 September 2025.
• N6.260 million was sent to Auto Revive on 30 September 2025.

Confidential documents reviewed have revealed more details about how the alleged coup was planned and organized before military authorities stopped it.

The main figures in the conspiracy used agricultural terms to hide their discussions from outsiders and security agencies. They called themselves farmers and named the whole operation ‘farming’. Other agricultural-related terms were also used: ‘Fertilisers’ meant logistics, ‘harvest’ referred to the execution day, ‘digital farming’ was about the operation, and ‘technical partners’ were clerics consulted for prayers.

Earlier reports showed how Mr Sylva was initially reluctant about the coup but later became an alleged supporter of the plot. Another report detailed how he raised the money he contributed through Purple Waves Limited. By the time the disbursements started in September 2025, the Purple Waves Limited account had over N5 billion.

Mr Sylva, who is believed to be outside the country, denied any involvement in the coup last October. But five people connected to him are facing charges for not revealing his location.

Mr Ma’aji and several other suspects linked to the alleged coup were arrested between September and October last year. In total, more than 40 suspects, including active military officers, police personnel, and civilians, have been arrested in connection with the plot.

Thirty-six active military personnel are currently on trial before a General Court Martial in Abuja. Six other suspects face 13 charges before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja. The defendants in the Federal High Court have challenged the admissibility of their statements and video recordings, which prosecutors want to use as evidence of their connection to the plot and Mr Ma’aji. They argue that the statements and video evidence were obtained illegally. But the prosecution has asked the court to dismiss these objections and allow the evidence.