By Obinna Uballa
Former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, has dismissed the decision of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to declare him wanted, describing the move as politically motivated and designed to incite public hostility.
The EFCC on Monday announced that Sylva was wanted over an alleged conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14.8 million said to have been invested by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited. The agency urged the public to report any information on his whereabouts.
Reacting through his media aide, Julius Bokoru, the former Bayelsa governor said he received no formal communication or summons from the anti-graft agency before the announcement was made. He accused what he called “political interests” of using law enforcement as a tool of intimidation.
“It is curious that what was once whispered as a coup allegation has quietly been reinvented as a financial accusation,” Sylva said. “No official notice, no due process – only a digital proclamation seemingly crafted to stir public outrage and fuel orchestrated hostility.”
He alleged that the same forces behind earlier attempts to link him to a purported plot to overthrow the federal government were now “rebranding themselves as anti-corruption crusaders.”
Sylva, who is currently in the United Kingdom for medical treatment, said he would honour any lawful invitation from the EFCC upon his return.
“I have clean hands,” he insisted. “I have not diverted a single dollar. The refinery project under reference is a legitimate, transparent, and fully documented venture.”
He called on his supporters to remain calm, saying the situation represents a broader pattern of political persecution.
“Truth may be delayed, but it does not disappear,” he said.
In October, soldiers reportedly raided Sylva’s residences in Abuja and Bayelsa, arresting his brother during investigations into an alleged plot against the Tinubu administration, an allegation Sylva has consistently described as fabricated.
