Abuja, 28 October 2025 —
Armed personnel from the Nigerian Army staged a raid earlier today on the Maitama residence of Timipre Sylva, the former governor of Bayelsa State and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, as part of a probe into an alleged coup plot targeting the federal government.
Eyewitnesses report that a “special military team” forced entry at dawn, searched the house and reportedly detained Sylva’s brother, identified as Paga Sylva. The operation is believed to have been prompted by intelligence linking Sylva to a network of detained officers under investigation by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) for alleged efforts to overthrow the government.
Sources close to the matter say the DIA has been investigating at least 16 senior military officers held in an undisclosed facility in Abuja in connection with the purported coup plan. The agency is said to have tracked meetings between the detained officers and political figures including Sylva — though no formal charge has been publicly announced.
The Defence Headquarters and Army Headquarters have remained silent. Multiple requests for official comment from the Director of Defence Information and the Acting Army Public Relations officer were reportedly unanswered.
Sylva served as governor of Bayelsa State and later as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources from 2019 to 2023 under the All Progressives Congress (APC) federal administration. He was the party’s gubernatorial candidate in Bayelsa in November 2023 but lost. His political stature and close ties to the former government have led observers to speculate that the investigations carry both security and political implications.
– The DIA is expected to provide updates on the investigation, though no timeline has been announced.
– It remains unclear if Sylva himself has been located or formally charged; some sources claim he may have fled the country.
– Analysts caution the lack of transparency around the operation raises questions about civil-military relations, rule of law and the separation of security and political spheres.
The raid on Timipre Sylva’s Abuja home marks a significant escalation in the government’s response to alleged plots within the military. As the investigation unfolds, key questions remain unanswered — including the status of Sylva, the precise nature of the alleged orchestration, and the broader ramifications for governance and security in Nigeria.
