ABUJA: The Nigerian Army has reportedly raided the Abuja residence of former Bayelsa State governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, in connection with an alleged coup plot currently under investigation by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Multiple security sources confirmed to Reporters on Tuesday that the raid was carried out by a special military team at Sylva’s home in the Maitama district of Abuja.
According to insiders, the operation followed intelligence linking the former minister to secret meetings allegedly held with some detained senior military officers accused of plotting a coup.
One top military source disclosed that Sylva, described as a South-South former governor, is believed to have fled the country before the operation.
Nigerian Army special team ransacked the home of Timipre Sylva, who is believed to have fled Nigeria.
His brother, named Paga, was arrested during the raid. The operation also extended to his Bayelsa residence, the source said.
While no official statement has been released, another senior security official told Reporters that the action was not random, but rather a direct response to credible intelligence linking certain political figures to the alleged coup plot.
This development follows growing anxiety within the military establishment after Sahara earlier revealed that at least 16 senior officers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force had been detained by the DIA over an alleged plot to overthrow the government.
The detained officers have reportedly been held incommunicado for more than three weeks in an undisclosed Abuja location, with families initially fearing they had been kidnapped due to the lack of official communication.
It’s been 18 days since those 16 officers were taken away. At first, we thought our brother had been kidnapped until we learned from someone in the NSA office what had happened, a family member said.
Security analysts have questioned why the DIA, which operates under the Ministry of Defence, is leading the investigation instead of allowing each military branch to handle its own internal disciplinary process a situation many interpret as politically motivated.
If this were a normal disciplinary probe, thousands of cases could emerge. Why only 16 officers? Why hand them to the DIA? a retired officer queried. This smells of politics there’s clearly more behind it.
Speculation is mounting that the alleged coup plot and the wave of arrests may have deeper political implications, possibly involving former officeholders tied to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Sylva, a close Buhari ally, served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources between 2019 and 2023 and was the All-Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the November 2023 Bayelsa election, which he lost to incumbent Governor Douye Diri of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
