About ₦11 billion has been traced to the bank accounts of a colonel over the alleged coup plot involving some senior military officers.
Top security officers who spoke to Punch disclosed that the discovery connected the detained officer to the alleged coup.
According to an officer familiar with the investigation, the colonel, who served directly under a brigadier general now also under probe, had previously been deployed in 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.
It was learnt that the ongoing probe is part of a broader investigation that began after intelligence reports in August 2024 suggested that some serving military officers were allegedly plotting to overthrow the government.
Security sources disclosed that the Defence Intelligence Agency began tracking communications, financial movements, and foreign contacts linked to the suspects months 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.
“They met in the UK and Turkey this year. But the DIA was patiently gathering facts and evidence before swooping on them,” a source said.
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