Why EFCC Declared Sylva Wanted.

Sylva.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recently declared Chief Timipre Sylva, former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and ex-Governor of Bayelsa State, wanted over allegations of conspiracy and misappropriation of $14,859,257.

The EFCC stated that the amount was part of funds provided by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited for building a refinery in Bayelsa.

Sylva has rejected the claims, describing them as politically motivated attacks and accusing the EFCC of bypassing proper procedures before making him wanted.

In an official statement, EFCC’s media head, Dele Oyewale, said the commission obtained an arrest warrant for Sylva on November 6 from a Federal High Court in Lagos. Justice D. I. Dipeolu authorised law enforcement agencies to arrest Sylva and bring him before the EFCC to answer charges.

The commission’s probe also included questioning Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, the former Executive Secretary of NCDMB, on allegations of mismanagement involving the Brass Project funds.

Earlier, the EFCC arrested Akintoye Adeoye Akindele, Managing Director of Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, over suspected embezzlement, money laundering, and misuse of public money. Akindele initiated the refinery project at the Brass Free Trade Zone in Bayelsa, which received $35 million from NCDMB in December 2020 to develop various facilities, including a 2,000-barrel refinery, jetty, gas and power plants, data centre, and storage tanks.

However, investigations revealed minimal progress on the project despite the disbursed funds. The EFCC’s preliminary findings also showed that from 2016 to 2023, NCDMB funded at least 17 projects during Wabote’s tenure, including the Brass Energy Park. Sylva held the ministerial post from 2019 to 2023, a period when these projects were under review.

In response to the EFCC’s announcement, Sylva’s media aide, Julius Bokoru, criticised the commission for failing to notify Sylva before going public with the declaration. He called the EFCC’s action a “digital ambush” intended to damage Sylva’s reputation.

Bokoru alleged that the accusations were part of a political conspiracy, stating, “What was once whispered as a coup issue has now transformed into financial allegations. The same forces that targeted Sylva politically have now switched to fiscal accusations.”

He confirmed Sylva’s innocence and said the former minister would respond to any legitimate EFCC summons. Bokoru added that Sylva was currently undergoing medical treatment in the UK.

He urged supporters to stay calm, affirming that “truth will prevail and those behind these baseless claims will not succeed.”