EFCC declares Timipre Sylva wanted over $14.8m fraud allegation

By Grace Edet

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and ex-Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, wanted over alleged conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14.86 million.
In a notice shared via its official X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday, the anti-graft agency said Sylva, 61, is wanted in connection with funds belonging to the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), reportedly diverted from an investment intended for the construction of the Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited.
According to the EFCC, the declaration follows a warrant of arrest issued by the Lagos State High Court on November 6, 2025.
The EFCC’s statement read: “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 agency urged the public to provide any useful information regarding Sylva’s whereabouts to any of its zonal offices across the country or through its official contact lines and email address.
“Anybody with useful information as to his whereabouts should please contact the Commission in its Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt, or Abuja offices or through 08093322644; its e-mail address: info@efcc.gov.ng or the nearest Police Station and other security agencies,” the statement concluded.
Sylva, who hails from Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, served as minister between 2019 and 2023 under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. He also contested the Bayelsa governorship election in 2023 under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The EFCC’s public notice comes amid ongoing investigations into financial improprieties involving public officials and agencies linked to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, as the Commission intensifies its anti-corruption drive.