The Defence Headquarters and Nigerian Army Headquarters have remained silent following reports circulating on social media that armed personnel stormed the Abuja residence of former Bayelsa State Governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, over alleged links to a coup plot under investigation.
According to Vanguard, effort to reach the Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, and the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Lt. Col. Appolonia Anele, for clarification proved abortive as of press time.
Unverified reports had claimed that a special military team raided Sylva’s Maitama residence in the early hours of Tuesday.
The operation was allegedly linked to intelligence reports suggesting the former governor held secret meetings with some of the detained military officers accused of plotting to overthrow the government.
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A source who spoke with Sahara Reporters alleged, “The Nigerian Army special team ransacked the home of Timipre Sylva, who is believed to have fled Nigeria. His brother, Paga, was picked up during the raid.”
Another unnamed security insider was cited as saying the raid was not random but followed what was described as “credible intelligence linking certain political figures to the alleged plotters.”
The reports also noted that at least 16 military officers have been held incommunicado for over three weeks in an undisclosed Abuja facility, sparking fears among their families.
“It’s been 18 days since those 16 officers were detained in an undisclosed location. At first, we thought our brother was kidnapped before finding out what transpired from his friend who works in the NSA office,” a family source was quoted as saying.
Some retired officers have raised suspicions about the motives behind the arrests.
One senior officer reportedly said, “If the military were truly conducting a disciplinary operation, over 10,000 cases could emerge. Why only 16 officers, and why hand them to the DIA? This smells of politics. There’s clearly more going on behind the scenes.”
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