ABUJA, Nigeria — The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared Timipre Sylva, former governor of Bayelsa State and ex-minister of state for petroleum resources, wanted over an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257.
The anti-graft agency made the announcement in a statement released on Monday, November 10, 2025, by Dele Oyewale, its spokesperson.
The EFCC urged members of the public with useful information about Sylva’s whereabouts to contact any of its offices nationwide or the nearest police station.
“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,” the statement read.
According to the EFCC, the notice follows a warrant of arrest issued on November 6, 2025, by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.
“Anybody with useful information as to his whereabouts should contact the Commission in its Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt, or Abuja offices, via 08093322644, e-mail [email protected], or the nearest police station,” the EFCC added.
The commission said the 61-year-old politician hails from Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and is wanted in connection with the alleged misappropriation of funds meant for the construction of the Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited.
The case stems from funds reportedly injected into the refinery project by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) during Sylva’s tenure as minister of state for petroleum.
The EFCC alleges that part of the funds were fraudulently diverted.
In October, soldiers reportedly raided Sylva’s residences in Abuja and Bayelsa, arresting his brother amid separate allegations linking the former governor to a purported plot to overthrow the Tinubu administration — claims which his aides have dismissed as politically motivated.
Julius Bokoru, Sylva’s special assistant on media and public affairs, confirmed the October raid but described the allegations against his principal as “baseless and orchestrated to tarnish his image.”
Sylva, who served as Bayelsa State governor from 2007 to 2012, was also the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the state’s 2023 governorship election, which he lost to Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
As of press time, neither Sylva nor his legal representatives had issued a response to the EFCC’s latest declaration.
