Timipre Sylva Denies Involvement in Alleged Coup

Abuja — Former Minister of State for Petroleum and ex-Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, has strongly denied reports linking him to an alleged coup plot, describing the claims as “false and malicious.”

In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Julius Bokoru, Sylva dismissed the rumours circulating on social media suggesting that he had fled the country to evade arrest.

According to Bokoru, the ex-minister’s residence was recently raided by individuals believed to be operatives of the Defence Headquarters, during which “considerable damage was inflicted on the property.” However, he noted that both Sylva and his wife were out of the country at the time — the former attending a routine medical check-up in the United Kingdom before proceeding to Malaysia for a professional conference.

Bokoru clarified that the reasons behind the raid remain unknown, as “no categorical explanation was provided by the officers involved.”

He further emphasized that Sylva had no involvement whatsoever in any coup plot, stressing that the former governor is a “thoroughbred democrat whose political career has been defined by faith in democratic processes and institutions.”

The statement read:

“Chief Sylva has achieved every milestone through transparent, democratic engagement and the will of the people. His unwavering support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a matter of public record.”

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Bokoru attributed the rumours to “desperate and narcissistic politicians already consumed by ambitions for 2027,” alleging they see Sylva as “their last real obstacle.”

The Defence Headquarters had earlier debunked social media claims of an attempted coup, describing them as baseless.