The Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday arraigned five Nigerians before the Federal High Court in Abuja for allegedly concealing the whereabouts of former Bayelsa State Governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, who has been declared a fugitive in connection with an alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu.
The defendants — Reuben Ayuba, Musa Mohammed, Friday Paul, Paganengigha Anagaha and Ayebaifife Suobite — appeared before Justice Peter Lifu on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and allegedly aiding the concealment of Sylva’s location.
According to the DSS, the accused persons became accessories after the fact to a felony by deliberately hiding information regarding the former governor’s whereabouts on or about April 28, 2026, in Abuja.
The charges, filed under Sections 519 and 516 of the Criminal Code Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, alleged that the defendants knowingly withheld information about Sylva despite being aware that he was wanted by security authorities.
When the charges were read in open court, all five defendants pleaded not guilty.
Following their arraignment, counsel to the DSS, Emmanuel Orubor, urged the court to set a date for trial, indicating the prosecution’s readiness to call witnesses to substantiate the allegations.
Defence lawyers, however, immediately moved applications seeking bail for their clients.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Sanusi Musa, who represented the first and fourth defendants, Reuben Ayuba and Paganengigha Anagaha, pleaded with the court to admit them to bail on liberal terms.
Separate applications were also moved by Ibrahim Imadegbelo for Musa Mohammed, I.G. Kelubia for Friday Paul, and E.C. Sogo for Ayebaifife Suobite.
The defence team informed the court that the defendants had remained in detention since October 25, 2025, and argued that continued incarceration before trial would amount to undue hardship.
In his ruling, Justice Lifu granted each defendant bail in the sum of N5 million with two sureties in like sum.
The court directed that each surety must provide an affidavit of means, evidence of tax payments covering the last three years, proof of a legitimate source of livelihood, and recent passport photographs.
Justice Lifu further ordered the court registrar to verify the identities and credentials of the sureties before the bail conditions could be perfected.
Pending the fulfilment of the conditions, the five defendants were remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre.
The matter was subsequently adjourned until July 22, 2026, for the commencement of trial.
Court documents alleged that the accused persons conspired among themselves to conceal the whereabouts of Sylva, thereby becoming accessories after the fact to offences contrary to the Criminal Code Act.
Sylva, a prominent figure in Nigeria’s political establishment, was implicated in an alleged conspiracy to overthrow the Tinubu administration following investigations conducted by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
The Federal Government accused the former Bayelsa governor of serving as a major financier of the alleged plot and subsequently slammed him with treason and terrorism-related charges, although he has yet to appear before the court and remains at large.
Investigators alleged that nearly ₦1 billion was channelled through a Bureau De Change operator and private construction firms to bankroll activities connected to the purported conspiracy.
According to intelligence reports and prosecution witnesses, the alleged plot was originally designed to disrupt President Tinubu’s inauguration on May 29, 2023, but was temporarily abandoned due to funding challenges before being revived in 2024.
Security operatives later raided Sylva’s residences in Abuja and Bayelsa in late 2025, leading to the arrest of his brother as investigations intensified.
The Federal Government eventually filed a 13-count charge before the Federal High Court in Abuja, naming Sylva as the seventh defendant alongside a retired major general, naval officers and several other suspects.
Despite the allegations, Sylva’s media aides have consistently denied any involvement in the purported coup plot, describing both the accusations and the military operations at his residences as politically motivated attempts to tarnish his image and silence opposition voices.