The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Samuel Ogbuku, has reportedly been arrested by military intelligence operatives over alleged involvement in the recently uncovered failed coup plot against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to multiple military intelligence sources, Ogbuku—widely regarded as an ally and nominee of former Bayelsa State Governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva—was detained for allegedly transferring a huge sum of money to the former minister, who is currently under investigation in connection with the same plot.
Investigators are said to be probing the source and purpose of the alleged funds, which are believed to have come from a recently awarded NDDC shoreline protection contract valued at over ₦54 billion, out of which approximately ₦20 billion was reportedly paid as mobilization fees.
“The MD transferred a huge sum of money to Sylva. Investigators are working on the theory that the fund transfer was connected to the coup. He is presently answering questions about what the money was meant for,” a senior security source was quoted as saying in The Punch.
Military intelligence reportedly suspects that the ₦20 billion may have been diverted to finance the alleged coup plot aimed at overthrowing the Tinubu administration.
The development follows earlier reports that 16 senior military officers were arrested and detained by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) over their alleged roles in the same plot. Sources said the officers have been held incommunicado in Abuja for several weeks.
As of press time, neither the Defence Headquarters nor the NDDC has issued an official statement confirming or denying Ogbuku’s arrest.
