By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
THE ECONOMIC and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared former Bayelsa State Governor and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, wanted in connection with an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257.
EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, in a statement on Monday, said the funds were part of investments by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) into Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited for the construction of a refinery.
The Commission urged members of the public with information on Sylva’s whereabouts to contact any EFCC office 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 EFCC, Sylva, 61, hails from Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
A warrant for his arrest was issued on November 6, 2025, by Justice D.I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.
The court order authorises the Commission or any law enforcement officer to arrest Sylva and bring him before the Commission to answer the alleged criminal offence.
“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 info@efcc.gov.ng
, or the nearest police station,” the EFCC added.
The Commission’s statement posted on its official X handle on Monday evening reiterated that Sylva is wanted in relation to the alleged misappropriation of the funds allocated to the refinery project.
In a separate development in October, soldiers reportedly raided Sylva’s residences in Abuja and Bayelsa, detaining his brother amid allegations linking the former governor to a purported plan to overthrow the Bola Tinubu administration. Julius Bokoru,
Sylva’s special assistant on media and public affairs, confirmed the raid on the residences but described the claims as politically motivated.
