The Nigerian Army has declined to comment on reports alleging that its personnel raided the Abuja home of former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and ex-Bayelsa State governor, Timipre Sylva.
The alleged operation, reported by SaharaReporters, was said to have taken place on Tuesday at Sylva’s Maitama residence.
The online platform claimed that the raid was linked to an ongoing Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) investigation into an alleged coup plot involving several detained senior military officers.
When contacted by THE WHISTLER, the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Lt. Col. Appolonia Anele, directed all inquiries to the Defence Headquarters.
Quoting Anele, “Who issued the first statement on the coup? There was a statement issued on this coup matter, and it was from the Defence headquarters, so, if there is a developing story, further inquiries should be directed to the Defence headquarters, not the Army.”
When probed further on whether army personnel carried out the raid, Anele maintained her position, saying, “Contact the Defence Headquarters on this issue.”
Efforts to reach the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Markus Kangye were unsuccessful. Calls and messages were not responded to as of press time.
However, SaharaReporters had reported that a “special military team” conducted the raid after intelligence allegedly linked Sylva to secret meetings held with some of the detained officers.
It quoted an unnamed source as saying, “Nigerian Army special team ransacked the home of Timipre Sylva, who is believed to have fled Nigeria. He is the South-South former governor frequently mentioned in the case. His brother, named Paga, was picked up during the raid. The operation also extended to his Bayelsa residence.”
Another security source told SaharaReporters that the operation was “not random” but “a direct response to intelligence linking certain political figures to the alleged plotters.”
The alleged raid adds to the tension surrounding the military following reports that the DIA detained at least 16 senior officers across the Army, Navy, and Air Force over the suspected coup plot. The officers have reportedly been held for more than three weeks at an undisclosed location in Abuja.
Family members of some detainees told SaharaReporters they initially believed their relatives had been kidnapped before later learning that they were in DIA custody.
“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,” one family member was quoted informing the platform.
The Defence Headquarters has yet to issue an official response regarding either the alleged raid or the ongoing investigation into the purported coup attempt.
SOURCE: THE WHISTLER
