The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared former Minister of Petroleum Resources and ex-Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, wanted over alleged financial crimes.
In a statement released on Monday, the anti-graft agency said Sylva is wanted in connection with a case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion involving $14,859,257 (Fourteen Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty-Nine Thousand, Two Hundred and Fifty-Seven United States Dollars).
According to the EFCC, the sum represents part of the funds invested by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) into Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited for the construction of a refinery.
The Commission disclosed that it obtained a warrant of arrest for Sylva on November 6, 2025, from the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.
The order, signed by Justice D.I. Dipeolu, authorized law enforcement agencies to arrest Sylva and present him before the EFCC to answer to the allegations.
“An order is made issuing a warrant to the Applicant or any Officer of the Commission, Police or any law enforcement officer for the arrest of the Respondent for the purpose of bringing him before the Commission to answer to the criminal offence he is alleged to have committed,” the court order read in part.
The EFCC called on members of the public with useful information about the former governor’s whereabouts to contact any of its zonal offices, police formations, or other security agencies across the country.
The development comes just days after Sylva’s media aide, Chief Julius Bokoru, dismissed allegations linking the former minister to an alleged coup plot against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In a statement, Bokoru described the claim as the handiwork of “desperate and narcissistic politicians” plotting for 2027, whom he accused of targeting Sylva because of his growing political influence.
“These evil politicians have taken their desperation to a sickening level due to Sylva’s intimidating political presence and credibility, which continue to expose their self-serving ambitions,” Bokoru stated.
He reaffirmed Sylva’s loyalty to President Tinubu, noting that the former minister had mobilized APC structures in Bayelsa to endorse the President during a recent expanded stakeholders’ meeting in the state.
Bokoru further confirmed that Sylva’s Abuja residence was recently raided by individuals suspected to be operatives from the Defence Headquarters, resulting in significant damage to the property.
He explained that the former governor and his wife were outside the country at the time of the raid, with Sylva reportedly undergoing a routine medical check in the United Kingdom before heading to Malaysia for a professional conference.
