An Abuja car dealer has told military investigators that an Army officer at the centre of the alleged 2025 coup plot bought six vehicles worth ₦65 million during what investigators describe as the peak period of the suspected plot’s preparations.
The vehicles comprised three Toyota Hilux trucks, one Toyota Prado SUV and two Toyota Corolla cars.
The dealer, Ahmed Abdulganiyu, Chief Executive Officer of Arun G Motors in Lokogoma, Abuja, made the disclosure in an extrajudicial statement now forming part of the prosecution’s evidence in the ongoing trial of military officers and civilians accused of plotting to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Abdulganiyu said the transaction began on September 26, 2025, when a man identified as Aliyu called on behalf of his boss, requesting a Toyota Corolla. Aliyu later arrived at the dealership with the officer since identified as Col. Mohammed Ma’aji.
When Abdulganiyu’s dealership couldn’t meet the full order, the men accompanied him to other dealerships across Abuja to source the remaining vehicles.
Dealer Received ₦65m
Abdulganiyu said ₦46.5 million was credited to his Access Bank account on September 27, followed by a further ₦18.5 million transferred the next day into an account belonging to his associate, Christopher Elube — bringing the total to ₦65 million.
He said a man arrived immediately after the second transfer and collected three Hilux trucks and the Prado, leaving both Corollas behind. Those two cars, he told investigators, remain uncollected.
Investigators said the amounts and dates matched transactions recorded by a Bureau de Change operator allegedly used to move funds within the suspected coup network, who identified the payments as transfers made on Ma’aji’s instructions. While the records don’t directly tie the vehicles to coup activity, investigators noted the purchases fell within a period of heavy financial disbursements to persons and companies linked to the alleged plot.
Additional Transfers
Abdulganiyu said he also sent ₦700,000 to Aliyu on approval, and that Ma’aji separately sent ₦300,000 to install a compressed natural gas system in one of the Corollas. He said receipts for the transactions were attached to his statement.
Months later, an officer identified as Lt. Col. John visited the dealership to inform him the vehicles were tied to an ongoing investigation.
Ma’aji Named Key Suspect
Investigators describe Ma’aji, a 50-year-old colonel from Niger State attached to the Defence Space Administration, as a central figure in the alleged conspiracy, claiming he pitched the plan to former Bayelsa governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, who allegedly financed it.
Sylva has denied any involvement. His spokesperson said in October 2025 that he had no role in planning or logistics, and that he was outside Nigeria at the time — his return has not been publicly confirmed. Five people linked to Sylva face charges over allegedly concealing his whereabouts, and government has secured an interim forfeiture order on nine Abuja properties tied to him.
Six defendants face 13 charges, including treason and money laundering, before the Federal High Court in Abuja, while several serving military personnel are being tried separately before a General Court Martial. The defendants have denied wrongdoing and are challenging the admissibility of extrajudicial statements and video evidence presented by the prosecution, arguing they were obtained without proper legal safeguards. The prosecution insists the evidence was lawfully gathered. The court has yet to rule on the matter.
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