Military investigators have uncovered about N11 billion in several bank accounts belonging to a colonel currently in detention over an alleged coup plot involving senior army officers.
According to a report by The PUNCH, highly placed security insiders confirmed that the discovery further strengthened suspicions linking the officer to the reported conspiracy.
According to a source close to the investigation, the colonel—who previously served under a brigadier general also under scrutiny—was once deployed to 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.
The ongoing probe forms part of a broader intelligence operation that began after reports surfaced in August 2024 suggesting a possible plan by some serving military officers to topple the government.
Security officials said the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) had been monitoring communications, financial transactions, and foreign links connected to the suspects long 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 disclosed.
“They met in the UK and Turkey this year. But the DIA was patiently gathering facts and evidence before swooping on them.”
Intelligence gathered during surveillance reportedly influenced changes in President Bola Tinubu’s movement patterns.
“The first countermeasure taken was to divert the President’s movement in recent times,” another 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.”
