The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and ex-Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, wanted.
According to a public notice issued by the Commission and signed by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, Sylva is wanted in connection with an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257 (Fourteen Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty-Nine Thousand, Two Hundred and Fifty-Seven United States Dollars).
The funds, the EFCC said, were part of the investment injected by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) into Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited for the construction of a refinery.
The Commission stated that it obtained a warrant of arrest for Sylva from the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on November 6, 2025. The order, granted by Justice D.I. Dipeolu, directed that “an order is made issuing a warrant to the Applicant or any Officer of the Commission, Police, or any law enforcement officer for the arrest of the Respondent for the purpose of bringing him before the Commission to answer to the criminal offence he is alleged to have committed.”
The EFCC urged anyone with credible information about the former minister’s whereabouts to contact its offices across the country or report to the nearest police station or other security agencies.
Sylva, 61, hails from Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and previously served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and as Governor of Bayelsa State.
