Nigerian soldiers have reportedly raided the Abuja home of former Bayelsa State Governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, over an alleged coup plot being investigated by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
According to a SaharaReporters publication, the raid was carried out by a special military team at Sylva’s residence in the highbrow Maitama area of Abuja.
Sources cited in the report revealed that the operation followed intelligence suggesting Sylva’s possible involvement in secret meetings with some detained military officers currently under probe for suspected subversive activities.
“The Nigerian Army’s special squad searched Sylva’s home, believing he had fled the country. His brother, identified as Paga, was apprehended during the operation, which also extended to the former minister’s residence in Bayelsa,” a source said.
It was gathered that Sylva, a key member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was not present when the soldiers arrived and may have left Nigeria before the raid.
The development comes amid increased security surveillance following President Bola Tinubu’s recent shake-up of the Armed Forces and the appointment of new service chiefs on October 24. The reorganisation followed growing concerns about unease within the military and unconfirmed reports of a thwarted coup attempt.
