By Ayodele Oni, Suleiman Anyalewechi & Akinwale Kasali
Timipere Sylva, immediate past Minister for State, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, has been declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. He occupied the Ministerial position under the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
Sylva is, also, a former Governor of Bayelsa State.
The Commission declared him wanted over an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion of US$14,859,257.
The EFCC, in a public notice on Monday, released by its spokesman, Dele Oyewale, said the funds were provided by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board for Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical.
The full text reads:
“The public is hereby notified that TIMIPRE SYLVA, a former Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, and former Governor of Bayelsa State, whose photograph appears above is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an alleged case of Conspiracy and Dishonest Conversion of $14,859,257-part of funds injected by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) into Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited for the construction of a Refinery.
“Sylva, 61, is from Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. This notice is pursuant to a November 6, 2025, warrant of the Lagos State High Court.
“Anybody with useful information as to his whereabouts should please contact the Commission in its Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt, or Abuja offices or through 08093322644; its e-mail address: [email protected] or the nearest Police Station and other security agencies.”
Since May 29, 2023, when President Bola Tinubu was sworn into office as President, Sylva has not been involved in any Government or Political Party affairs, especially, as he, also, failed in his bid to clinch the Governorship seat of Bayelsa State for the second time.
Prior to that, he had declared interest in the office of the President in 2023, and was all set to take part in the Presidential Primaries when he suddenly lost interest and continued in his Ministerial job.
However, he suddenly became front page news in the past one month when his name was linked to an alleged aborted Coup Plot aimed at overthrowing the President Tinubu Government.
The Defence Headquarters denied there was such a plan, and explained that the arrested Military Officers are in detention because of other sundry issues not connected with a Coup Plot.
However, it failed to explain why Sylva’s Abuja residence was raided by soldiers who, according to Sylva, arrested his driver and his (Sylva’s) younger brother. He also said the soldiers destroyed his property. The arrested two are reportedly still in detention.
Accusing fingers point at him as, allegedly, the sponsor of the alleged aborted Coup plot.
Sylva, who is currently, out of the country with his wife, vehemently denies any link to any Coup Plot.
On why he is outside the Country, he said he was in the United Kingdom for a routine medical check-up but would proceed to Malaysia from there for “a professional conference”.
The EFCC declaring him wanted adds a very ugly twist to the Coup allegation.
Sylva was of the Peoples Democratic Party, Party, PDP, under which he was Governor of Bayelsa State.
But, he defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC, when nothing was going on well with him in the PDP.
Sylva is the second Bayelsa indigene who has entered into trouble with the EFCC after occupying the office of a Minister in the Petroleum Resources Ministry. The first was Deziani Allison-Madueke , a full Minister for Petroleum Resources under President Goodluck Jonathan.
She has been in self-exile in the UK since after Jonathan, and from there, battling all kinds of allegations against her by the EFCC – all connected to the office she held.
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