Following his declaration as wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257, former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and ex-Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, has described the agency action as politically driven and procedurally improper, alleging that the agency failed to notify him before making a public declaration.
Sylva, who stated through a statement issued by his spokesperson, Julius Bokoru , alsso accused unnamed political opponents of orchestrating a “relentless theatre of persecution”
“His recent travails bear an uncanny resemblance to the trials of Job in Holy Scripture, each ordeal arriving with near-mathematical precision, each accusation discredited only for another to appear,” Bokoru said.
“These are no coincidences; they are deliberate machinations of those who dread Sylva’s enduring political relevance and moral resolve. No formal communication was extended to him, no established protocol observed, only a sudden digital proclamation designed to inflame public sentiment and manufacture yet another episode of orchestrated hostility.”
According to the statement, Sylva insisted he had not diverted any public funds and maintained that the refinery project under investigation — the Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited, was legitimate and transparent.
“Chief Timipre Sylva has clean hands. He has not diverted a single dollar, nor has he betrayed the trust reposed in him by the Nigerian people,” the statement read.
“The refinery project is a legitimate, transparent, and verifiable undertaking, subject to due process and traceable documentation. Those engineering this relentless campaign of defamation will not prevail.”
Recall that the anti-sleaze agency on Monday declared Sylva wanted for alleged conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257, reportedly part of funds injected by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) into Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited.
In a notice signed by Dele Oyewale, Head of Media and Publicity, the Commission alleged that Sylva and others diverted portions of the investment for personal use. A warrant for his arrest was issued on November 6, 2025, by Justice D.I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Lagos.
The court order authorised law enforcement agencies to arrest Sylva and bring him before the EFCC “to answer to the criminal offence he is alleged to have committed.”
The EFCC urged members of the public with useful information on Sylva’s whereabouts to contact its zonal offices, the police, or other security agencies
