ABUJA, Nigeria (Chatnewstv.com) — Nigerian Army personnel have raided the Abuja residence of former Governor and former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, in connection with an alleged coup plot being investigated by the Defence Intelligence Agency, according to reports from SaharaReporters and multiple security sources.
The raid, reportedly carried out by a “special military team” at Sylva’s home in the Maitama area of Abuja, was a “direct response to intelligence linking certain political figures to the alleged plotters,” a security insider told SaharaReporters.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the case, indicated that intelligence suggested the former Bayelsa state governor had held “secret meetings” with some of the detained military officers.
A top source familiar with the development said the Nigerian Army special team “ransacked the home of Timipre Sylva, who is believed to have fled Nigeria.” The source added that Sylva’s brother, identified as Paga, was arrested during the operation, which also extended to his residence in Bayelsa state.
Another security insider said no official statement had been issued regarding the raid, but stressed the action was “not random.”
The development follows an earlier report by SaharaReporters that at least 16 senior military officers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force had been detained incommunicado by the DIA for over three weeks in connection with the alleged plot to topple President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government.
Family members of the detained officers told the online platform they initially feared their relatives had been kidnapped, as there was no official communication from the military. “It’s been 18 days since those 16 officers were detained in an undisclosed location. At first, we thought our brother was kidnapped before finding out what transpired from his friend who works in the NSA office,” a family member was quoted as saying.
The officers are reportedly held in an undisclosed Abuja facility. The use of the DIA to spearhead the investigation has been viewed by some security analysts as “highly political.”
“If the military were truly conducting a disciplinary operation, over 10,000 cases could emerge. Why only 16 officers, and why hand them to the DIA?” one retired officer questioned, suggesting the investigation “smells of politics.”
Sylva, a former governor of Bayelsa State and an ally of former President Muhammadu Buhari, served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources from 2019 to 2023. He lost the November 2023 Bayelsa governorship election as the All Progressives Congress candidate.
Recent reports further allege that Sylva has since fled Nigeria to Senegal and may be en route to Argentina after learning the coup plot had leaked. Sources close to the investigation claimed that an initial arrested military officer named Sylva as the “arrowhead and financier of the operation.” It was also disclosed that ₦46 billion was allegedly traced to an account linked to him.
The report claimed that during the raids, officials allegedly found “incriminating documents and cash in foreign currencies” at his Bayelsa home. His brother, Paga Sylva, was arrested during the raid on the Abuja residence.
