Alleged Coup Plot: Presidency Denies Any Attempt to Topple Tinubu Government
Operatives of the Nigerian Army recently raided the Abuja residence of former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, over an alleged coup plot reportedly under investigation by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has once again dismissed the mounting claims of a coup attempt in Nigeria, describing them as false and unfounded.
In a Tuesday interview on TVC, the Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication to the President, Sunday Dare, reaffirmed that the Presidency stands firmly with the position of the Nigerian military, which had earlier denied any plot to overthrow the government.
According to Dare, the armed forces remain the constitutionally empowered institution to preserve Nigeria’s unity and territorial integrity, and the Tinubu administration retains “absolute confidence” in their commitment and loyalty.
He told TVC, “We are going to stick to the narrative of the military because they are the ones constitutionally empowered to secure this country. They are given the power, arms, and ammunition as the intelligence authority.”
Dare further explained that there was a deliberate need for institutional memory and balance in the retention of certain military officers, emphasizing that such decisions were “not taken on impulse” but for strategic continuity.
Meanwhile, PulseNets obtained by multiple defence sources that the Abuja residence of Chief Timipre Sylva, located in the Maitama district, was stormed by a special team of military operatives last weekend.
According to a senior security official who spoke to PulseNets under condition of anonymity, the operation was “intelligence-driven” and linked to findings connecting a former South-South governor to a series of secret meetings allegedly held with some detained military officers.
The source said, “The Nigerian Army’s special team searched Timipre Sylva’s Abuja home. He was not found, but his brother, Paga, was picked up during the operation. The search later extended to his Bayelsa residence.”
Another top intelligence officer told PulseNets that the move was “a direct response to actionable intelligence”, not a random raid.
He revealed, “The Abuja residence was searched first, then a follow-up was conducted in Bayelsa. The suspicion is that Sylva may have quietly left the country days before the arrests began.”
The incident has intensified growing unease within the Nigerian military, following earlier reports that at least 16 senior officers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force have been detained incommunicado by the DIA over the same alleged coup plot.
Family members of the detained officers told PulseNets that they were initially unaware of their relatives’ whereabouts, fearing they had been kidnapped, as no official statement was released by the military.
One distraught relative said, “It’s been over 18 days since our brother was taken. At first, we thought he was kidnapped until a friend in the NSA office confirmed what had happened.”
Security experts have raised concerns about the DIA’s central role in the investigation, describing the approach as “politically charged” rather than procedural.
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A retired senior officer told PulseNets, “If this were a regular disciplinary matter, there would be thousands of cases to investigate. The fact that only 16 officers are involved—and that the DIA is handling it—suggests something deeper and political.”
The developments continue to fuel questions about the true nature of the arrests, the extent of military involvement, and whether the alleged plot is being used to settle internal or political scores within the nation’s security hierarchy.
