THE uncertainty surrounding alleged coup plots in Nigeria has intensified, as two individuals arrested during a military raid on the Abuja residence of former Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, remain in detention more than a week after the operation.
News Point Nigeria reports that the detainees, identified as Paga Sylva, the former Bayelsa State governor’s younger brother and Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs and his personal driver, were taken into custody on Saturday, October 25, 2025, when operatives stormed the ex-minister’s home in the nation’s capital.
Sylva, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and current power broker in Bayelsa politics, was outside the country at the time of the raid.
Security sources said he had planned to fly back into Nigeria, but reportedly cancelled his return upon receiving information that some suspects allegedly linked to a coup plot had been arrested.
His Media and Publicity aide, Julius Bokoru, confirmed to this newspaper on Sunday that both men were still being held without public disclosure of evidence linking them to any wrongdoing.
“Not that I know of. As of last night, they had not been released. I would have known if they were,” Bokoru stated during a telephone interview.
When asked why there had been no loud public demand for their release, Bokoru said legal experts were already handling the matter.
Earlier, in a statement, the spokesman criticised what he described as unnecessary damage to Sylva’s property during the raid, accusing unnamed political actors of attempting to tarnish the former minister’s reputation because they see him as “a major roadblock to their ambitions.”
On October 4, the Director of Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Tukur Gusau, revealed that 16 military officers had been arrested for breaches of military regulations and indiscipline.
However, an online newspaper claimed the officers, reportedly ranging from Captains to Brigadier-Generals — were being detained over an alleged plot to overthrow the government. It further alleged that arrests took place at multiple locations nationwide.
The Defence Headquarters has not yet provided clarification regarding the raid on Sylva’s residence and its possible connection to the alleged coup.
Meanwhile, prominent Niger Delta figures have condemned the situation, accusing detractors of carrying out a smear campaign against the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, a longtime associate of Sylva.
After an emergency meeting in Port Harcourt, the Critical Ex-Agitators Stakeholders Coalition urged unity and support for Ogbuku.
Speaking for the group, Pioneer National Secretary of First Phase Ex-Agitators, Nature Kieghe, warned against sabotage:
“These attacks are uncalled for. A house divided against itself cannot stand. We must support Dr. Ogbuku, who has transformed NDDC.”