Defence, Army Silent on Reported Raid of Ex-Minister Timipre Sylva’s Abuja Home Over Alleged Coup Link

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) and the Nigerian Army have remained silent following widespread reports on social media alleging that armed soldiers raided the Abuja residence of former Bayelsa State Governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, over alleged links to a coup plot currently under investigation.

Multiple reports, which did not originate from Vanguard, claimed that a special military team stormed Sylva’s Maitama home in the early hours of Tuesday. The alleged operation was said to be connected to intelligence reports linking the former governor to secret meetings with some detained military officers accused of plotting to overthrow the government.

Efforts by Vanguard to obtain official responses from both the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, and the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Lt. Col. Appolonia Anele, were unsuccessful as neither officer responded to calls or messages.

One of the reports quoted unnamed sources as saying,

“The Nigerian Army special team ransacked the home of Timipre Sylva, who is believed to have fled Nigeria. He is the South-South former governor frequently mentioned in the case. His brother, Paga, was picked up during the raid.”

Another security source reportedly confirmed that while the military had not issued any official statement, the raid was not random but followed ‘credible intelligence’ linking certain political figures to the alleged coup plot.

The reports further alleged that the detained officers, numbering 16, have been held incommunicado for over three weeks in an undisclosed facility in Abuja. Family members were initially unaware of their whereabouts and reportedly feared they had been kidnapped.

“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,” one relative was quoted as saying.

A retired senior military officer also questioned the selective nature of the detentions, suggesting political undertones behind the development.

“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? This smells of politics. There’s clearly more going on behind the scenes,” the officer said.

As of the time of filing this report, neither the Defence Headquarters nor the Nigerian Army has issued an official comment regarding the alleged raid or the reported coup investigation.

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