The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared a former Minister of Petroleum Resources and ex-Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, wanted over alleged involvement in financial crimes amounting to $14,859,257 (Fourteen Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty-Nine Thousand, Two Hundred and Fifty-Seven United States Dollars).
In a statement released by the Commission, Sylva is wanted in connection with an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion of the said funds, reportedly injected by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) into Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited for the construction of a refinery.
The EFCC further disclosed that it had, on November 6, 2025, obtained a warrant of arrest for the former Minister from a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.
The anti-graft agency has appealed to members of the public with useful information about Sylva’s whereabouts to contact any of its Zonal Offices across the country, or report to the nearest Police Station and other security agencies.
Sylva, a former governor of Bayelsa State and former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, served in President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and has remained a notable political figure in the Niger Delta region.
The EFCC reiterated its commitment to ensuring accountability and transparency in public office, promising that no individual, regardless of status or position, would be above the law.
