The Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned until Oct. 5 the trial of five men accused of concealing the whereabouts of former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva.
The case, scheduled for trial before Justice Peter Lifu on Wednesday, did not proceed because the court did not sit. The matter was subsequently moved to Oct. 5 after the court’s annual vacation.
The Department of State Services (DSS) arraigned the five defendants—Reuben Ayuba, Musa Mohammed, Friday Paul, Paganengigha Anagaha and Ayebaifie Suobite—on July 1 on a two-count charge.
Sylva, who remains at large, is linked to a separate criminal trial before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, where six suspects are facing charges over an alleged plot to overthrow President Bola Tinubu’s government.
The prosecution also alleges that the former governor had financial connections with the six suspects standing trial.
The defendants in that case are retired Maj.-Gen. Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, retired Capt. (NN) Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni and Abdulkadir Sani.
The Federal Government filed a 13-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026 against the six defendants.
Although Sylva, a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources under the Muhammadu Buhari administration, is not listed as a defendant in the charge, the prosecution identified him as being at large.
When the five suspects appeared before Justice Lifu on July 1, they pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/299/2026. Prosecution counsel, E.G. Orubor, requested a trial date to enable the government to present its case.
Justice Lifu granted each defendant bail in the sum of N5 million with two sureties who must reside in Abuja and provide valid tax clearance certificates.
The court granted the bail applications after defense counsel, including Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Sunusi Musa, argued in favor of their release. The trial was initially fixed for July 22 before it was postponed.
According to the first charge, the defendants allegedly became accessories after the fact by concealing Sylva’s whereabouts on or about April 28 in Abuja, despite knowing he was a fugitive.
The second charge accuses them of conspiring to conceal the whereabouts of the former governor. The offenses are said to contravene Sections 519 and 516 of the Criminal Code Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
