Former Bayelsa Governor Timipre Sylva’s Home Raided Over Suspected Coup Links

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 involvement in a coup plot currently under investigation by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).

According to multiple security sources, a special military task force carried out the operation in the early hours of Tuesday at Sylva’s Maitama home in Abuja.

Sources revealed that the raid followed intelligence reports linking the former governor to secret meetings with some detained military officers accused of conspiring to overthrow the government.

A senior security official disclosed that the operation was extended to Sylva’s Bayelsa residence, where his brother, identified as Paga, was arrested.

“The Nigerian Army’s special team searched Timipre Sylva’s home. He is said to have fled the country. His brother, Paga, was taken into custody during the operation,” the source said.

Although the military has yet to issue an official statement, another insider told Sahara Reporters that the raid was based on “credible intelligence” connecting several political figures to the suspected plotters.

This development comes amid rising tension within the Armed Forces following reports that at least 16 senior officers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force are being held by the DIA over the same alleged plot. The officers have reportedly been detained for more than three weeks at a secret location in Abuja without contact with their families.

Family members of the detained officers initially feared they had been abducted due to the military’s silence.

“It’s been 18 days since our brother was taken. We only discovered his arrest through a friend working at the NSA office,” one relative said.

Security analysts have raised concerns over the DIA’s involvement, arguing that such internal matters are usually handled by the respective military branches. Some have suggested that the arrests may be politically motivated.

“If this were a normal disciplinary issue, thousands of officers could be investigated. Targeting just 16 and involving the DIA points to something political,” a retired senior officer noted.

Speculation continues to grow that the alleged coup plot and arrests may have political links to figures associated with former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

Sylva, a close ally of the late president, served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources between 2019 and 2023 and was the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the November 2023 Bayelsa governorship election, which he lost to Governor Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

As of press time, neither the Nigerian Army nor the Defence Headquarters had made any official comment on the raid or Sylva’s whereabouts.