The anti-corruption agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has issued a public wanted notice for Timipre Sylva, Nigeria’s former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and erstwhile Governor of Bayelsa State, over allegations of criminal conspiracy and dishonest conversion of public funds.
According to Dele Oyewale, the Head of Media and Publicity at the EFCC, Sylva is being sought in connection with the alleged misappropriation of $14,859,257 belonging to the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB). The funds were reportedly meant for investment in Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited toward establishing a petroleum refinery.
The commission’s public announcement, released on Monday, stated that the wanted notice follows an official court directive. “This notice is pursuant to a November 6, 2025 warrant of the Lagos State High Court,” the statement read.
Sylva, who is 61 years old and originally from Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, served as Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources from 2019 to 2023 during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. He previously governed Bayelsa State and was the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the November 2023 gubernatorial election, which he lost to the incumbent Governor Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The EFCC has called on members of the public to provide any information regarding Sylva’s current location. Citizens with useful information can contact the commission at any of its operational offices across the country, including those in Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt, and Abuja. The agency can also be reached via telephone at 08093322644 or through email at info@efcc.gov.ng. Alternatively, information can be reported to the nearest police station or other security agencies.
Background of Recent Developments
This latest development comes weeks after reports emerged that Nigerian Army operatives conducted a raid on Sylva’s Abuja residence in the upscale Maitama district. The military operation, which reportedly occurred in late October, was allegedly connected to an ongoing investigation by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) into a purported coup plot.
Security sources had indicated that the raid followed intelligence suggesting the former minister might have been linked to secret meetings with detained military officers. During the operation, Sylva’s brother, identified as Paga, was reportedly arrested, and the operation extended to his Bayelsa residence as well.
Responding to those earlier allegations through his Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Julius Bokoru, Sylva denied fleeing the country or having any involvement in coup-related activities. Bokoru explained that the former minister was abroad for routine medical check-up in the United Kingdom and was scheduled to attend a professional conference in Malaysia.
“It is important to state unequivocally that Chief Timipre Sylva has no involvement whatsoever, either in planning or in logistics, with any such plot. Chief Sylva is a thoroughbred democrat, whose entire political journey has been defined by his faith in democratic processes and institutions,” Bokoru had stated.
He also confirmed that Sylva’s Abuja residence sustained considerable damage during the military raid, adding that no clear justification or proper authorization was provided by the security personnel who carried out the operation.
As investigations continue, the EFCC maintains its appeal to the public for cooperation in locating the former minister to answer questions relating to the alleged refinery fund misappropriation.