Former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and ex-Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, has confirmed that his Abuja residence was raided by men suspected to be military operatives, but denied having any link to an alleged coup plot under investigation by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Sylva, in a statement released on Wednesday by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Julius Bokoru, described the reports linking him to the alleged plot as “false, malicious and politically motivated.”
Bokoru disclosed that the former minister and his wife, Alanyingi Sylva, were both out of the country when the raid occurred, adding that the operation caused significant damage to the property.
“For the avoidance of doubt, it is true that the residence of Mr Timipre Sylva was recently subjected to a raid by individuals believed to be operatives of the Defence Headquarters,” Bokoru said.
“However, both Mr Sylva and his wife were outside the country at the time of the incident.”
He added that despite efforts to get details about the operation, “no clear reason or authorisation has been provided by the officers who carried it out.”
The aide clarified that Sylva had not fled Nigeria, explaining that he was in the United Kingdom for medical reasons and was scheduled to attend a professional conference in Malaysia afterwards.
“The former minister has no involvement whatsoever—either in planning or logistics—with any such plot,” Bokoru stated, noting that the Defence Headquarters had already debunked the coup rumour.
He accused some unnamed political rivals of sponsoring what he called a “smear campaign” ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“These rumours are nothing more than the handiwork of desperate politicians already consumed by ambitions for 2027,” he said.
“They see Sylva as their last real obstacle—a man whose political presence and credibility continue to expose their dark, self-serving ambitions.”
Bokoru described his principal as a“thoroughbred democrat,” noting that Sylva’s political journey—from his days in the old Rivers State House of Assembly in the 1990s to his tenure as Bayelsa governor—had been marked by faith in democratic processes.
He further recalled Sylva’s role in rallying the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa to endorse President Bola Tinubu during the party’s build-up to the 2023 elections, stressing that the former minister’s loyalty to the administration remained “unwavering.”
Reports earlier surfaced that Sylva’s Abuja home in the highbrow Maitama district was raided by a “special military team” following intelligence linking a former South-South governor to detained military officers allegedly involved in a coup attempt.
Sources quoted by SaharaReporters said Sylva’s brother, identified as Paga, was arrested during the operation, which was also extended to the politician’s Bayelsa residence.
The development comes amid heightened anxiety within the military over the detention of at least 16 senior officers—drawn from the Army, Navy, and Air Force—by the DIA for alleged involvement in the purported plot.
Families of the detained officers have reportedly raised concerns about the secrecy surrounding their arrest and the conditions under which they are being held.
Security analysts have also questioned why the DIA, rather than individual military services, is handling the investigation—describing the move as “unusual and politically motivated.”
As of press time, the Defence Headquarters had not issued any official statement regarding the raid on Sylva’s residence.
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