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Alleged Coup plot: N11 billion found in detained colonel’s bank accounts
Military intelligence traced about N11bn to the bank accounts of a colonel detained over the alleged coup plot involving some senior military officers.
Top-level security sources revealed that the discovery connected the detained officer to the alleged coup.
According to an officer familiar with the investigation, the colonel, who served directly under a brigadier general now also under probe, had previously been deployed in the Niger Delta region.
“When interrogated, the colonel claimed that the funds belonged to a former governor, whom he described as his business partner. He insisted that the money was meant for a legitimate business transaction,” the source said.
How probe unfolded
It was learnt that the ongoing probe is part of a wider investigation that began after intelligence reports in August 2024 suggested that some serving military officers were allegedly plotting to overthrow the government.
Security sources disclosed that the Defence Intelligence Agency began tracking communications, financial movements, and foreign contacts linked to the suspects months before any arrests were made.
“The coup plotters have been under the radar since August 2024, when the service got wind of the plot. They mapped out three different times to strike, two of which were the June 12 Democracy Day and the October 1 Independence Day this year,” a source said.
“They met in the UK and Turkey this year. But the DIA was patiently gathering facts and evidence before swooping on them.”
DIA’s intervention
Intelligence gathered during surveillance reportedly led to a review of presidential movements.
Security sources said President Bola Tinubu’s frequent stays in Lagos and his reduced presence in Abuja were partly influenced by ongoing security assessments at the time.
“The first countermeasure taken was to divert the President’s movement in recent times,” one source noted.
“There was credible intelligence that they would execute the coup operation on October 1, and that was why the Independence Day celebration was cancelled. It was an operation that lasted for over a year, since August last year. But the service was ahead of them because they had access to their communications.”
Service chiefs’ sacking
Last Friday, President Tinubu dismissed all the service chiefs and replaced them.
It was gathered that the removal of the former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, was partly due to a public statement issued by the Defence Headquarters confirming the arrest of 16 officers.
The disclosure was described as a “management error.”
A credible security source said, “Information about the arrest of the 16 officers shouldn’t have been in the public domain,” a source said.
“The management of the situation was essential because they didn’t want people to have justification for the plot. The international community might begin to misinterpret the situation. The fact that the Chief of Defence Staff was careless by disclosing that they arrested 16 officers was a bad approach to management. That carelessness necessitated the change of the service chiefs.”
The source noted that the move to dismiss all the service chiefs at once was meant to mask the disciplinary intent and prevent speculation that Musa alone was being punished.
Muted public reactions
Although the Defence Headquarters denied any coup attempt, insisting that the arrested officers were only undergoing internal scrutiny, ongoing DIA operations have continued to suggest otherwise.
Two weeks ago, online platform Sahara Reporters reported that 16 military officers were detained in connection with a coup plot.
Since then, further arrests and raids—including the Tuesday search of the Abuja residence of former governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva—have been linked to the same investigation.
A report by Premium Times, which revealed the identities of the alleged coup plotters, showed that 15 of the detained military personnel are from the northern parts of the country.
Their states of origin include Nasarawa, Niger, Bauchi, Kaduna, Plateau, Gombe, Katsina, Jigawa, and the Federal Capital Territory.
A security source said the restrained communication from the authorities was to prevent political tension and ethnic suspicion within the military hierarchy.
Officials are said to be cautious about publicising the regional identities of the suspects, which could be misinterpreted as a targeted move against northern officers and could further destabilise the already sensitive power balance in the armed forces.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force has approved the redeployment of some senior officers to key command and staff positions.
A statement on Friday said it was part of efforts to enhance operational efficiency and align NAF structure with the leadership vision of the new Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke.
No fewer than 19 officers received new appointments, while six others were posted to various defence and inter-service establishments.
The statement, issued by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said the restructuring was aimed at improving decision-making, strengthening coordination across units and commands, and reinforcing readiness in response to current security challenges.
Aneke’s decision to reshuffle senior officers comes just a day after his counterpart in the Nigerian Army also announced a major reorganisation of top commanders. (Sunday PUNCH)
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has disclosed that there are two main reasons a former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Uche Nnaji, is being detained by the commission.
It also revealed that legal action was taken against the Enugu-born politician after he failed to honour several invitations extended to him through a letter referenced ICPC/HC/CSTF/GUN/GBT/T.1/VOLV16, and dated 15 May 2026.
John Odey, the spokesman of the commission in a statement on Wednesday explained that the commission later approached Federal High Court, Abuja Division, with the suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1160/2026) in order to effect Nnaji’s arrest after his failure to honour invitation.
Nnaji was arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, when he boarded a private jet to Abuja.
Corroborating the development, the ICPC spokesman said Nnaji’s arrest was effected at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, upon his arrival where he was led to the commission’s custody immediately.
According to him, Nnaji is being probed on forgery of academic credentials, specifically concerning a degree certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and False National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Discharge Certificate, which was submitted during his ministerial screening process in 2023.
The statement read, “The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arrested the immediate past Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Hon. Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji (M), following the execution of a bench warrant issued by the Federal High Court of Nigeria.
“The arrest was effected on Wednesday, 1st July 2026 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, upon Mr. Nnaji’s arrival.
“He was apprehended with the assistance of the Department of State Services (DSS) and subsequently handed over to the ICPC for further investigation.
“The Commission had earlier extended formal invitations to the former minister through a letter referenced ICPC/HC/CSTF/GUN/GBT/T.1/VOLV16, dated 15 May 2026.
“The invitation notices were duly served to his known addresses in Abuja and Enugu, as well as via his electronic mail address.
“Despite service through multiple channels, Mr. Nnaji failed to appear for investigative interviews on the scheduled dates, necessitating further legal action.
“The legal action followed a court order granted by the Federal High Court in the Abuja Judicial Division (Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1160/2026).
“The order, issued on 11 June 2026, directed the ICPC to arrest the former minister to enable investigation into allegations bordering on:
“Forgery of academic credentials, specifically concerning a degree certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN); and “False National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Discharge Certificate, which was submitted during his ministerial screening process in 2023.
“Following the arrest, Mr. Nnaji has been taken into custody at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja, where investigations are expected to continue. The Commission assures the public that the matter will be pursued diligently in accordance with the law.”
The immediate past Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, was arrested on Wednesday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on arrival from Enugu via a chartered flight.
Authoritative sources at the airport confirmed the arrest to PREMIUM TIMES, saying Mr Nnaji would be handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for interrogation.
The reported arrest comes weeks after the Federal High Court reportedly granted the ICPC permission to arrest and investigate Nnaji over the allegations.
The court also authorised the anti-graft agency to declare him wanted through newspapers, social media platforms and other media channels after the commission alleged that he repeatedly failed to honour invitations for questioning.
According to the ICPC, its application to the court followed Nnaji’s alleged refusal to appear before investigators despite several invitations relating to the forgery allegations.
The case stems from a two-year investigation published by Premium Times in October last year, which alleged that Nnaji submitted forged University of Nigeria degree and National Youth Service Corps certificates during his ministerial screening and confirmation process in 2023.
The report alleged that the documents were presented to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Nigerian Senate, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the State Security Service.
According to the publication, Nnaji later acknowledged that the University of Nigeria did not issue him the degree certificate in question, a development the newspaper said corroborated its investigation.Newspapers
The former minister had previously denied the existence of the court order authorising his arrest, dismissing the publication as a “media trial.”
However, on June 18, he reportedly filed an appeal before the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn the arrest order.
As of the time of filing this report, the ICPC had not issued an official statement confirming the reported arrest, while Nnaji’s legal team had yet to publicly respond to the latest development.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, restored the bail it had earlier granted to activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore.
Sowore is facing a two-count cybercrime charge filed against him by the Department of State Services (DSS) for calling President Bola Tinubu a “criminal” in a social media post.
Trial Justice Muhammed Umar, who had earlier granted the defendant bail on self-recognisance, on June 16 revoked the bail and issued a warrant for his arrest.
The order came after Sowore failed to appear before the court for the continuation of his trial, even though he wrote a letter explaining his absence and requesting a new date.
When proceedings resumed in the case on June 22, Justice Umar ordered the remand of the defendant in Kuje prison.
Dissatisfied with the actions the court took against him, Sowore—whose legal team had initially withdrawn from the case over alleged bias by the judge—secured a new lawyer, who promptly filed a motion to restore his bail and quash the arrest warrant.
When the case came up on Tuesday, Justice Umar held that he was minded to admit the defendant to bail.
However, the court listed some conditions that had to be met before he would be released from prison custody.
Aside from granting him bail to the tune of N200 million, the court held that the defendant must produce two sureties in like sum.
The court also ordered the defendant to surrender his international passport.
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Sowore, in the application he anchored on Sections 35(4), 36(1), and 66 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as Sections 169 and 352 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, insisted that the orders the court made against him were unjust and unwarranted.
The defendant had, on December 2, 2025, pleaded not guilty to the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, filed against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The charges allege offences under Sections 24(1)(b) and 24(2)(a), (b), and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.
The offending posts, made on August 25, 2025, were in response to President Tinubu’s claim, made in Brazil, that his administration had ended corruption in Nigeria.
Angered by the posts, the DSS demanded that X Inc. (formerly Twitter) and Meta Platforms Inc. ban Sowore’s accounts and remove the posts.
The security agency also wrote to Sowore, asking him to delete the posts from all platforms.
Non-compliance with the request led to the charges.
The prosecution claims the defamatory posts were intended to cause a breakdown of law and order and to tarnish the president’s reputation.
Exhibits include printouts of the posts and the DSS letters.
X Inc. and Meta were initially co-defendants but were delisted in the amended charge.
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