Army Storms Abuja Home of Timipre Sylva, Arrests Brother over Coup

Armed soldiers have reportedly conducted a raid on the Abuja residence of former Bayelsa State Governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, over alleged links to a coup plot currently being probed by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).

The operation, said to have been carried out by a special military unit, took place in the early hours of Tuesday at Sylva’s residence located in the upscale Maitama district of Abuja.

The raid followed intelligence reports implicating the former governor in a series of covert meetings with some detained military officers accused of conspiring to overthrow the government.

The military team reportedly extended its operation to Sylva’s Bayelsa residence, where his brother, identified as Paga, was apprehended.

“The Army team stormed Sylva’s homes after intelligence suggested his involvement. He is believed to have left the country, but his brother, Paga, was taken into custody.”

This development comes amid growing unease within the Nigerian Armed Forces after reports emerged that at least 16 senior officers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force have been detained by the DIA in connection with the alleged coup plot.

The detained officers have reportedly been held without contact for over three weeks at a secret location in Abuja. Family members of the officers earlier raised the alarm, believing their relatives had been abducted, as there had been no official communication from the military regarding their arrest or whereabouts.

Neither the Defence Headquarters nor the Nigerian Army has issued an official statement on the raid or the reported arrests as of press time.