Armed soldiers have reportedly raided the Abuja residence of former Bayelsa State Governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, over alleged links to a coup plot currently under investigation by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
According to multiple security sources, the operation was conducted by a special military unit in the early hours of Tuesday at Sylva’s Maitama residence in Abuja.
It was gathered that the raid followed intelligence suggesting that the former minister held secret meetings with some detained officers accused of plotting to overthrow the government.
A top security source disclosed that the operation also extended to Sylva’s Bayelsa home, where his brother, identified as Paga, was arrested.
“The Nigerian Army special team ransacked Sylva’s home. He’s believed to have fled Nigeria. His brother, Paga, was picked up during the raid,” the source said.
Another military insider confirmed that the raid was not arbitrary but based on “credible intelligence linking certain political figures to the alleged plotters.”
The development comes amid rising tension in the Armed Forces, following reports that at least 16 senior officers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force have been detained by the DIA for over three weeks in an undisclosed facility.
Security observers have expressed concern over the DIA’s unusual role in the probe, describing the operation as potentially politically motivated.
Sylva, a key ally of former President Muhammadu Buhari, served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources between 2019 and 2023 and was the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the 2023 Bayelsa governorship election.
As of press time, neither the Nigerian Army nor the Defence Headquarters had issued an official statement on the raid or Sylva’s whereabouts.
Ends
