Report Alleges NDDC Boss, Samuel Ogbuku Arrested in Connection with Coup Plot

Reports circulating in Nigerian media allege that Samuel Ogbuku, the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), has been arrested by military intelligence in connection with an alleged failed coup attempt to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Anonymous sources from military intelligence cited in the report, Ogbuku was allegedly apprehended for co-sponsoring the purported coup. The arrest reportedly stems from investigators tracking a “huge sum of money” that Ogbuku allegedly transferred to a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva.

The investigators are reportedly working on the theory that this fund transfer was meant to finance the move to change the government.

The reports states, “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.”

This alleged arrest follows earlier reports of high-level tension within the military. It was previously reported by SaharaReporters, citing an unnamed official, that 16 officers had been accused of planning a coup. The military authorities, however, had issued a diplomatic statement earlier, asserting that the officers were arrested for “issues of indiscipline and breach of service regulations,” not a coup plot.

As of the current time, there has been no official confirmation or denial from the NDDC, the Nigerian Presidency, or the military authorities regarding the alleged arrest of Samuel Ogbuku.