A former governor, Timipre Sylva, who served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources under former President Muhammadu Buhari, has been accused of bankrolling the coup plotters and remains at large.
It was gathered that Mr. Sylva allegedly transferred almost N1 billion in multiple tranches to three separate bank accounts operated by a Bureau De Change operator to fund the conspiracy.
The coup was initially scheduled for 29 May 2023, during the presidential inauguration, when power was handed over from Mr Buhari to Mr Tinubu. However, the plan was suspended due to insufficient funds and inadequate logistical arrangements, sources said.
The conspirators reactivated their plans in 2024 after raising some funds, investigators found.
Sources with direct knowledge of the investigation said that the plotters marked several top government officials for assassination, including President Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.
Further investigation has now revealed that the conspirators also targeted the service chiefs and the Commander of the Guards Brigade for assassination.
“There are other people targeted, but those are the key targets,” one source said.
Some officers were assigned to seize control of the Presidential Villa, Niger Barracks, the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) Complex, and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The plotters also planned to detain senior military officers, including the service chiefs. “They did not want to kill them,” one source added.
According to multiple sources, the conspirators intended to assassinate the political leaders simultaneously.
“They were waiting for a day when all of them would be in the country,” one official said. “Wherever they were, they would be assassinated.”
The sources said the plotters relied on informants within the Presidential Villa and around the officials slated for elimination.
“They have people inside the Villa who monitor the movements of these officials,” one source said. “The plan was to kill them at the same time and install a military government.”
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