The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared a former Minister of Petroleum Resources and former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, wanted over 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).
According to a statement by the anti-graft agency, the funds were part of the capital 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 revealed that it secured a warrant for Sylva’s arrest on November 6, 2025, following an order granted by Justice D.I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.
The court order read in part: “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 Commission urged anyone with useful information about Sylva’s whereabouts to contact any of its zonal directorates across the country, the nearest police station, or other security agencies.
Sylva, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources from 2019 to 2023 and was Governor of Bayelsa State between 2007 and 2012.
As of press time, the EFCC has not revealed whether any progress has been made in locating the former minister.
