ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigerian Army personnel have raided the Abuja residence of Timipre Sylva, a former governor of Bayelsa State and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, as part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged coup plot being handled by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Multiple security sources confirmed to SaharaReporters on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, that a “special military team” conducted the operation at Sylva’s home in the Maitama district of the capital.
According to insiders, the raid followed intelligence reports linking the former South-South governor to a series of covert meetings with some detained military officers implicated in the alleged plot.
“Nigerian Army special team ransacked the home of Timipre Sylva, who is believed to have fled Nigeria,” one top security source told SaharaReporters.
“He is the South-South former governor frequently mentioned in the case. His brother, named Paga, was picked up during the raid. The operation also extended to his Bayelsa residence.”
Another security insider said the move was “not random” but “a direct response to intelligence linking certain political figures to the alleged plotters.”
The raid comes amid rising unease within the armed forces after reports that at least 16 senior military officers had been detained incommunicado by the DIA over the alleged coup.
The officers — drawn from the Army, Navy, and Air Force — have reportedly been held for more than three weeks in an undisclosed Abuja facility under what sources described as “unusual and suspicious conditions.”
Family members of the detained officers said they initially feared their relatives had been kidnapped, as the military did not issue any official communication about the arrests.
“It’s been 18 days since those 16 officers were detained in an undisclosed location,” one family member told SaharaReporters.
“At first, we thought our brother was kidnapped before finding out what transpired from his friend who works in the NSA office.”
Security analysts have raised concerns about the DIA’s handling of the case, questioning why the intelligence agency — which falls under the Ministry of Defence — is leading the investigation rather than allowing each military branch to address disciplinary issues internally.
“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 asked.
“This smells of politics. There’s clearly more going on behind the scenes.”
Speculation has intensified that the investigation may have broader political dimensions, with potential links to figures from former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Sylva, a close ally of the late Buhari, served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources between 2019 and 2023.
He was also the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the November 2023 Bayelsa governorship election, which he lost to Governor Douye Diri of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
As of Tuesday night, neither the Nigerian Army nor the DIA had issued an official statement on the raid or the status of the former minister.
