Timipre Sylva
By Victory Oghene
The former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, yesterday said that military operatives raided his Abuja residence.
In a statement made available to newsmen by Slyva’s media aide, Julius Bokoru, the former Bayelsa Governor denied involvement in any attempt to topple President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government.
There were reports that soldiers raided Sylva’s Abuja and Bayelsa residences and arrested his brother on Sunday.
The managing director of a federal agency located in the South-South was also said to have been arrested and interrogated by security agencies for allegedly transferring funds to Sylva for the purported coup financing.
16 army officers were reportedly arrested and detained days back over an alleged coup attempt which was rumoured to have forced the president to cancel the October 1 Independence Day Anniversary parade.
In a swift reaction, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) dismissed the report as false and malicious, claiming the cancellation of the parade had nothing to do with any alleged coup attempt.
The DHQ had also clarified that the arrest and ongoing investigation of the officers reported in the media was a purely internal process aimed at upholding discipline and professionalism within the ranks, not a politically motivated action.
A dependable source squealed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had, on Friday, made changes in the hierarchy of the Service Chiefs in what the Presidency explained was part of efforts to strengthen the national security architecture.
In the shake up, Major-General Olufemi Oluyede replaced General Christopher Musa as the new Chief of Defence Staff, while Air Vice Marshal S.K. Aneke was appointed Chief of Air Staff, and Rear Admiral I. Abbas became Chief of Naval Staff. The Chief of Defence Intelligence, Major-General E.A.P. Undiendeye, was retained.
