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Alleged Coup: Army Reportedly Raids Abuja Residence Of Buhari’s Ex Petroleum Minister, Sylva, Arrests Sibling

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By Prosper Olayiwola

Some Nigerian Army personnel have raided the Abuja residence of a former governor and former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, in connection with an alleged coup plot currently under investigation by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).

Multiple security sources confirmed to SaharaReporters on Tuesday that the army raid occurred at Sylvaโ€™s home in the Maitama area of Abuja.

According to insiders, a special military teamโ€ carried out the operation after intelligence linked the โ€œformer South-South governorโ€ to secret meetings allegedly held with some of the detained military officers.

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โ€œNigerian Army special team ransacked the home of Timipre Sylva, who is believed to have fled Nigeria,โ€ one top source familiar with the development told SaharaReporters.

โ€œHe is the South-South former governor frequently mentioned in the case. His brother, named Paga, was picked up during the raid. The operation also extended to his Bayelsa residence.โ€

Another security insider said that while no official statement had been issued regarding the raid, the action was โ€œnot randomโ€ but โ€œa direct response to intelligence linking certain political figures to the alleged plotters.”

This development comes amid growing tension within the armed forces following SaharaReportersโ€™ exclusive report that at least 16 senior military officers had been detained incommunicado by the DIA over an alleged coup plot.

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The detained officers, drawn from the Army, Navy, and Air Force, have been held for over three weeks in an undisclosed Abuja facility under what sources described as โ€œunusual and suspicious conditions.โ€

Family members told SaharaReporters they initially believed their relatives had been kidnapped, as there was no official communication from the military regarding their arrests.

โ€œItโ€™s been 18 days since those 16 officers were detained in an undisclosed location. At first, we thought our brother was kidnapped before finding out what transpired from his friend who works in the NSA office,โ€ a family member had said.

Security analysts have questioned why the DIA, an intelligence agency under the Ministry of Defence, is spearheading the investigation instead of allowing each military service to handle its personnel internally, a move seen as โ€œhighly political.โ€

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โ€œIf the military were truly conducting a disciplinary operation, over 10,000 cases could emerge. Why only 16 officers, and why hand them to the DIA?โ€ one retired officer asked. โ€œThis smells of politics. Thereโ€™s clearly more going on behind the scenes.โ€

Speculations are now rife that the alleged plot and subsequent arrests may have deeper political undertones, potentially involving some former office holders with ties to late ex-President Muhammadu Buhariโ€™s administration.

Sylva, a former governor of Bayelsa State and a close ally of late Buhari, served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources between 2019 and 2023.

He was also the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the November 2023 Bayelsa election, which he lost to incumbent Governor Douye Diri of the Peopleโ€™s Democratic Party (PDP).

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NNPC slashes petrol price twice within four days

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The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, has slashed its fuel pump price for the second time within four days.

A market survey on Saturday by DAILY POST showed that NNPCL retail outlets around Airport Junction and Wuse Zone 6 (Berger) in Abuja have reduced their petrol price to N1210 per litre, down from N1260.

This means that the state-owned oil firm slashed the petrol price by N50 per litre.

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This comes barely two days after Dangote Refinery reduced its petrol gantry price by N50 to N1,125 per litre.

Recall that four days ago, NNPCL had adjusted its fuel price pump by N75 per litre to N1260.

With the latest drop by NNPCL retail outlets, petrol prices stand between N1210 per litre and N1305 per litre in Abuja and its environs.

The reduction in domestic fuel comes amid falling crude oil prices, which stand at $69 per barrel and $71 per barrel for West Texas Intermediate and Brent crude, respectively, following the easing of the conflict in the Middle East.

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Recall that President Bola Tinubu has kept mum amid the clamour by Nigerians for a commensurate drop in domestic fuel pump prices due to the significant reduction in crude oil prices.

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Lokoja Court order: INEC speaks on NDC, says it’s yet to receive CTC

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The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said it is yet to receive the Certified True Copy, CTC, of the Federal High Court judgment that set aside an earlier order directing it to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, as a political party.

INEC revealed this in a statement issued on Saturday by its Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the Chairman, Adedayo Oketola.

According to the commission, although it is aware of media reports on the judgment delivered by the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja on June 26, it cannot comment on the ruling until it obtains and reviews the certified copy.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is aware of reports circulating in the media regarding the judgment delivered on Friday, June 26, 2026, by the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, which set aside an earlier order concerning the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

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โ€œHowever, as of this moment, the Commission has not yet received the Certified True Copy, CTC, of the courtโ€™s order,โ€ the statement said.

INEC stated that its legal department would study the judgment upon receipt of the CTC before advising the commission on the next course of action.

โ€œOnce the Commissionโ€™s legal department receives and thoroughly studies the CTC of the judgment, INEC will take an informed, lawful decision in line with the courtโ€™s directives.

โ€œUntil then, we cannot comment on the specifics of the ruling, and the public is urged to await the Commissionโ€™s formal position on the matter,โ€ Oketola added.

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Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja had on Friday set aside the courtโ€™s December 10, 2025, judgment directing INEC to register the NDC as a political party.

The court held that the rights of the Peace Movement Party were affected by the earlier judgment because it was not joined in the suit despite claiming ownership of the logo relied upon in securing the registration order.

Justice Dashen consequently ordered that all parties be restored to the positions they occupied before the December 2025 judgment and directed that the substantive suit be heard afresh with all necessary parties joined.

The NDC has rejected the ruling and announced plans to appeal the decision. Its National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, maintained that the party had not been deregistered and argued that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to revisit a matter on which it had already delivered a final judgment.

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The ruling has also attracted reactions from opposition figures, including the NDCโ€™s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, the partyโ€™s National Leader, Senator Henry Dickson, and other stakeholders, who described the decision as a threat to Nigeriaโ€™s multiparty democracy and vowed to challenge it through all available legal channels.

INEC, however, maintained that it would reserve its position on the judgment until it receives and reviews the Certified True Copy.

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Just in: Police rescue five abductees in Ogun

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A joint police operation rescued five victims abducted near Ogbere Forest in Ogun state on Wednesday.

They were rescued within 25 hours by the Lagos and Ogun Police Commands, which were part of a joint operation codenamed KOSAYE, meaning โ€œNo Spaceโ€ in Yoruba.

The woman was among the victims who were shot in the incident. Her daughter and sister were among those rescued by the police on Thursday.

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