REVEALED: Ma’aji, alleged coordinator of botched coup, was once Timi Sylva’s security adviser

Mohammed Ma’aji, a colonel regarded by investigators as thecoordinator of the alleged plot to topple Nigeria’s democracy, was a securityadviser to Timi Sylva in the 2015 Bayelsa state gubernatorial election. Sylva’s residences in Abuja were recently searched byinvestigators, and his whereabouts remain unknown. Julius Bokoru, his special assistant on media and publicaffairs, has denied reports linking the former minister of state for petroleumresources to the botched coup. In a statement, Bokoru described Sylva as “an unrepentantand thoroughbred democrat” who has consistently supported President BolaTinubu. Ma’aji, who is said to be “very close” to Sylva, coordinatedsecurity for the former governor in the December 5, 2015 election. Sylva, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC), polled 86,852 votes, losing to Seriake Dickson, candidate of the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP), who scored 134,998 votes. He previously led Bayelsa state as a PDP governor between2007 and 2012, with his first election cancelled in 2008 by a tribunal. He won a fresh election and did one term before he wasdenied a second term ticket by the party, with Dickson preferred to him. ‘MA’AJI KEEPING MUM’ It is still unclear to investigators if Ma’aji was themastermind of the foiled coup, but he is believed to have played a centralrole. His major role, it was alleged, was to recruit juniorofficers. But he is also accused of providing the funds and logistics,fuelling speculation that he might have been bankrolled by a politician orpoliticians with significant war chest. Ma’aji served in the oil-rich Niger Delta region for years. TheCable understands that he has refused to co-operate withinvestigators so far, preferring to keep mum on all the allegations. Officers junior to him have made “significant statements” tothe special investigative panel set up by the military authorities. Forensics have been conducted on Ma’aji and his wife, withtheir Abuja house searched by the investigators. A throve of information has reportedly been unearthed on thecouple’s accounts and a number of landed property, military sources toldTheCable. Ma’aji, sitting in the middle of the front row in army uniform, was the president of Course 21 at NIPSS, KuruWHO IS MOHAMMED MA’AJI? Not much is known about the army officer from Niger state. Ma’aji, born in 1976 to Nupe parents, was a member ofregular course 47 of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). TheCable understands that he was commissioned in 2000 as asecond lieutenant, rising through the ranks to become a colonel in 2017 afterattending the Policy, Strategy and Leadership Course (PSLC) at the NationalInstitute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau state. Ma’aji served as commanding officer (CO) of the 19 Battalionin Okitipupa, Ondo state, before was posted to Koko, headquarters of WarriNorth LGA, Delta state, in 2017. In January 2021, he became the CO of Delta Safe following atransfer from the Depot, Nigerian Army, in Zaria.

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