Multiple security sources have confirmed to SaharaReporters that the Nigerian Army carried out a raid on the Abuja residence of Timipre Sylva, former governor of Bayelsa State and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, in connection with an alleged coup plot currently under investigation by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
According to insiders, a “special military team” executed the operation in Sylva’s Maitama home following intelligence linking him to secret meetings with detained military officers.
“The Nigerian Army special team ransacked Timipre Sylva’s home. He is believed to have fled Nigeria. His brother, Paga, was arrested during the raid, which also extended to his Bayelsa residence,” one source familiar with the operation told SaharaReporters.
While the military has not issued an official statement on the raid, sources say it was a targeted operation based on intelligence connecting certain political figures to the alleged plotters.
This raid follows reports that at least 16 senior military officers, drawn from the Army, Navy, and Air Force, have been held incommunicado by the DIA for over three weeks under what family members described as “unusual and suspicious conditions.”
Initially, families feared their relatives had been kidnapped, with little official communication from the military.
Security analysts have raised concerns over the DIA leading the investigation rather than the respective military branches, describing the move as “highly political.”
“If this were purely disciplinary, thousands of cases could emerge. Why focus on just 16 officers and involve the DIA? There’s clearly more at play,” a retired officer commented.
Speculation is growing that the alleged coup plot and related arrests may have political undertones, potentially involving former office holders from the administration of the late ex-President Muhammadu Buhari.
Sylva, a close ally of Buhari, also ran as the APC governorship candidate in Bayelsa State’s 2023 election, losing to incumbent Douye Diri of the PDP.
