Ex-Nigerian governor reacts to alleged coup plot, says military operatives raided his house

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Timipre Sylva, a former governor of Bayelsa State, Nigeria’s South-south, has denied involvement in an alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

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PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that about 20 military officers were arrested and detained for allegedly planning to stage a coup.

Top intelligence sources had informed this newspaper that Mr Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, were among key officials targeted for assassination in the alleged plot.

Weeks after the alleged coup plot, Mr Tinubu replaced Nigeria’s military chiefs.

‘Sylva not involved in any coup plot’

There have been reports that the former Bayelsa governor, Mr Sylva, was involved in the alleged coup plot and that he had fled the country.

His spokesperson, Julius Bokoru, dismissed the report as untrue in a press statement on Wednesday, 29 October.

However, he admitted that “individuals believed to be operatives of the Defence Headquarters” raided the former governor’s residence.

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“During the said operation, considerable damage was inflicted upon the property.

“Despite sustained efforts, I have been unable to ascertain the reasons or authorisation for this raid. To the best of my knowledge, the officers involved did not provide any categorical explanation for their actions, either at the time or subsequently,” Mr Bokoru said.

The raid on Mr Sylva’s residence gives credence to the report that the Nigerian military is investigating the alleged coup plot, despite its denial.

Regarding the report that Mr Sylva fled the country, Mr Bokoru said the former governor and his wife, Alanyingi, had been in the UK for a routine medical check-up and would proceed to Malaysia for a professional conference.

“While the Defence Headquarters has already debunked the swirling rumours of a coup in Nigeria, it is important to state emphatically that Chief Timipre Sylva, CON, has no involvement whatsoever—either in planning or in logistics—with any such plot.

“Chief Sylva is a thoroughbred democrat, whose entire political journey has been defined by his faith in democratic processes and institutions. From the 1990s, when he was first elected into the Old Rivers State House of Assembly, to his tenure as Governor of Bayelsa State, Sylva has achieved every milestone through transparent, democratic engagement and the will of the people.

READ ALSO: 2027: Ex-Bayelsa lawmaker opposes Jonathan’s reported presidential ambition

“His unwavering support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a matter of public record. It remains fresh in memory how he mobilised the entire Bayelsa APC structure to unanimously endorse President Tinubu at the APC Bayelsa Expanded Stakeholders’ Meeting.

“These rumours are nothing more than the handiwork of desperate and narcissistic politicians, already consumed by ambitions for 2027, who see Sylva as their last real obstacle—a man whose political presence and credibility continue to expose their dark, self-serving ambitions.”