Security agencies investigating the alleged coup plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu have identified two persons who allegedly funnelled N835 million through two private companies to bankroll the alleged conspiracy, PREMIUM TIMES can exclusively report.
Former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva allegedly contributed the largest share of N785 million. Investigators alleged that the funds were transferred through Purple Waves Limited, an Abuja-based construction company. The firm’s secretary, John Ebokpo, has since been arrested by security operatives and remains in detention.
Mr Sylva, who served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources under former President Muhammadu Buhari, is accused of being the principal financier of the failed plot and remains at large.
PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported his alleged role, but the exact figures he donated have only now emerged. The former governor, who is still at large, has denied any role in the coup.
Mr Sylva’s precise connection to Purple Waves Limited is not immediately clear. Company records at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) did not list him as a director or shareholder. The firm was registered in March 2009 for construction, building, and maintenance activities.
Efforts to call Mr Sylva on his known telephone line were unsuccessful. Attempts to contact his spokesperson, Julius Bokoru, and other directors of Purple Waves Limited also failed as calls to their known telephone numbers did not connect.
When PREMIUM TIMES visited Purple Waves’ office address in Abuja on Monday, a security guard at the location informed our reporter that the office had been shut down for about “four to five months” — a period that coincides with the wave of arrests made by security operatives in connection with the alleged coup.
