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A team of Nigerian soldiers has reportedly raided the Abuja residence of former Bayelsa State Governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, over an alleged coup plot currently being investigated by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
According to a report by SaharaReporters, the operation was carried out by a special military unit at Sylva’s home located in the upscale Maitama district of Abuja.
Sources quoted in the report said the raid followed intelligence linking the former minister to alleged secret meetings with some detained military officers said to be under investigation for suspected subversive activities.
“Nigerian Army special team ransacked the home of Sylva, who is believed to have fled the country. His brother, identified as Paga, was arrested during the raid. The operation also extended to his Bayelsa residence,” a source disclosed.
The source further claimed that Sylva, a prominent figure in the All Progressives Congress (APC), was not at home when soldiers stormed his residence, adding that he may have left the country before the operation began.
The alleged development comes amid heightened security vigilance following President Bola Tinubu’s recent reorganisation of the Armed Forces and appointment of new service chiefs on October 24. The shake-up followed weeks of speculation about discontent within military ranks and unconfirmed reports of a foiled coup attempt.
Earlier this month, the Nigerian Army confirmed that 16 officers were under investigation for “indiscipline and breach of service regulations.” While several media reports linked the probe to a coup plot, the Army dismissed such claims, describing the investigation as “a routine exercise.”
Sylva, who served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources from 2019 to 2023 in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, also contested the November 2023 Bayelsa governorship election on the platform of the APC but lost to the incumbent, Governor Douye Diri.
As of press time, neither the Defence Intelligence Agency nor the Nigerian Army had issued an official statement regarding the alleged raid or Sylva’s reported involvement in the ongoing investigation.
Efforts to reach the former minister or his media aides for comments were unsuccessful.