The Nigerian Army has reportedly raided the home of former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and ex-Bayelsa Governor, Timipre Sylva, in connection with an alleged coup plot currently being investigated by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
The operation, according to credible sources, took place in the Maitama area of Abuja in the early hours of Tuesday.
Reports say a special military team carried out the raid following intelligence that linked the former minister to a series of secret meetings with some detained military officers accused of plotting to overthrow the government. One top source revealed that Sylva is believed to have fled Nigeria before the raid, while his brother, identified as Paga, was arrested during the operation.
The search reportedly extended to Sylva’s residence in Bayelsa State, where security personnel also conducted a sweep. The source added that the raid was not random but part of an ongoing investigation by the DIA into a suspected network of political and military figures linked to the alleged coup. So far, neither the Army nor the Defence Headquarters has released an official statement on the incident.
This development comes amid rising tension within the military, following earlier reports that 16 senior officers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force had been detained by the DIA for their alleged involvement in the plot. A family member of one of the detained officers said, “It’s been 18 days since those officers were taken to an undisclosed location. At first, we thought our brother had been kidnapped before we learned what really happened.”
Security experts have described the growing influence of the DIA in handling such matters as unusual, noting that it could have political undertones. “If this were a routine military discipline case, thousands could be investigated. The fact that it’s only 16 officers, and it’s under the DIA’s control, shows there’s more to this politically,” one retired officer was quoted as saying.
Timipre Sylva, a key ally of late former President Muhammadu Buhari, served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources from 2019 to 2023. He was also the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 2023 Bayelsa election but lost to Governor Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). As of now, Sylva’s whereabouts remain unknown.
