Ogona Anita
The Nigerian Army has reportedly raided the Abuja residence of former Bayelsa State governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, over an alleged coup plot being investigated by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA)
According to Sahara Reporters, the operation, which took place at his Maitama residence in Abuja, was carried out by a special military team following intelligence reports linking the former minister to secret meetings with detained military officers accused of plotting a coup.
Sources revealed that Sylva’s brother, identified as Paga, was arrested during the raid, while another search was conducted at the former governor’s Bayelsa home.
According to top security insiders, the raid was not a random exercise but a deliberate action based on intelligence connecting certain political figures to the alleged conspirators.
Authorities have, however, not released any official statement on the incident.
The development follows weeks of tension within the military after at least sixteen senior officers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force were detained by the DIA over the alleged plot.
The officers have reportedly been held for over three weeks at an undisclosed location in Abuja without contact with their families or legal representatives.
Relatives of the detained officers said they initially feared their loved ones had been kidnapped until they later learned of the arrests through informal channels.
Many observers believe the arrests and raids could be politically motivated, considering the involvement of former officials connected to the administration of late ex-President Muhammadu Buhari.
Timipre Sylva, a former ally of Buhari, served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources from 2019 to 2023 and contested the Bayelsa governorship election under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023, where he lost to Governor Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
