NDDC boss Samuel Ogbuku has denied reports claiming he was arrested over an alleged coup plot.
He said he was never detained and is currently attending official meetings in Port Harcourt.
The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, has debunked reports claiming he was arrested in connection with an alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement released on Thursday, Ogbuku described the reports as false and baseless. He clarified that he was never detained or questioned by security agencies and is currently in Port Harcourt for official engagements. According to him, he was attending a high-level NDDC meeting involving Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries, and Directors, which was broadcast live on Arise TV. During the session, he urged stakeholders to design and implement impactful frameworks that would shape the future of the Niger Delta region.
His clarification followed viral social media claims alleging that he had been arrested by security operatives. The reports emerged amid growing speculations linking the NDDC and some political figures to an ongoing military investigation into an alleged coup plot.
Reacting to the rumors, All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Yekini Nabena also dismissed the reports as fake. He said Ogbuku had been actively participating in the ongoing agricultural summit in Port Harcourt and even spoke live on national television that morning. Nabena urged the public to disregard what he described as “fabricated stories” designed to mislead Nigerians.
Meanwhile, former Bayelsa State governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, confirmed that his Abuja residence was recently raided by military operatives but denied having any link to a coup plot.
The Nigerian government and the armed forces have repeatedly assured citizens that there is no threat to the country’s democracy, stressing that recent rumors of a coup are entirely unfounded.
