In a dramatic early-morning operation on Tuesday, a specialized team from the Nigerian Army stormed the Abuja home of Chief Timipre Sylva, the former Governor of Bayelsa State and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources. The raid stems from an ongoing investigation by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) into Sylva’s suspected role in a high-stakes coup conspiracy.
Sources within the security apparatus revealed that the action was triggered by intelligence indicating covert meetings between Sylva and several high-ranking military personnel implicated in plans to destabilize the current administration. The operation didn’t stop at his capital residence; forces also descended on Sylva’s family home in Bayelsa State, where they detained his brother, known locally as Paga.
This development comes amid a broader crackdown, with at least 16 senior officers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force held incommunicado for more than three weeks at a secure DIA facility in Abuja. Relatives of the detainees had grown increasingly alarmed, initially suspecting abductions due to the abrupt silence from official channels.
Security experts are sounding alarms over the DIA’s prominent involvement, with many viewing the probe as potentially laced with political bias. Whispers in informed circles point to lingering rivalries tied to the era of former President Muhammadu Buhari, under whose government Sylva served loyally.
A key figure in Nigerian politics, Sylva held the petroleum ministry portfolio from 2019 to 2023 and ran as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Bayelsa’s tense November 2023 gubernatorial race, ultimately falling to incumbent PDP Governor Douye Diri. As of this report, both the Nigerian Army and Defence Headquarters have maintained a tight-lipped stance, offering no confirmation on the raid’s outcomes or Sylva’s current status.
The incident underscores simmering unrest within Nigeria’s military establishment, fueling debates about loyalty, power plays, and the fragility of democratic transitions in the West African nation.
