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Five suspects have been arraigned by the Department of State Services (DSS) for allegedly concealing the whereabouts of former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva.
The suspects — Reuben Ayuba, Musa Mohammed, Friday Paul, Paganengigha Anagaha and Ayebaifie Suobite — were arraigned on two counts before a High Court in Abuja on Wednesday.
According to the charges, they are accused of being “accessories after the fact of felony by concealing the whereabouts of Timipre Sylva, who is a fugitive of the law.”
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that all five defendants pleaded not guilty.
Counsel to the DSS, E.G. Orubor, asked the court to fix a trial date to enable the prosecution to present its case.
Credit: The Guardian
The presiding judge, Peter Lifu, granted each defendant bail in the sum of N5 million, with two sureties each. The sureties must be residents of Abuja and provide valid tax clearance certificates.
The arraignment comes about two months after the Nigerian government charged six suspects with allegedly plotting a coup to overthrow President Bola Tinubu.
The defendants in that case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026, are Muhammed Ibrahim Gana, a retired major general; Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, a retired navy captain; Ahmed Ibrahim, a serving police inspector; Zekeri Umoru; Bukar Kashim Goni; and Abdulkadir Sani.
