THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has intensified its investigation into alleged financial impropriety involving former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, declaring him wanted and enlisting the support of top international security agencies.
According to a public notice released on Monday by EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, Sylva is being sought over alleged conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257, funds said to have been provided by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited.
Senior EFCC officials confirmed to News Point Nigeria that Sylva is now on the watchlists of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Interpol, UK Metropolitan Police, as well as security agencies in Canada and other jurisdictions.
“He was visiting the Commission before, but he later stopped. The case has been on for a long time,” an EFCC source disclosed.
EFCC stated that on November 6, 2025, it secured an arrest warrant from the Federal High Court in Lagos.
Justice D.I. Dipeolu ordered law enforcement to arrest Sylva and produce him before the Commission for questioning regarding the alleged financial crime.
This latest development comes just 27 days after the House of Representatives launched a probe into what lawmakers described as the mysterious disappearance of a $35 million federal investment in a modular refinery project in the Niger Delta.
The refinery reportedly never existed, despite five years and massive financial commitment.
Lawmakers accused NCDMB of failing to show evidence of the project’s existence. Committees on Midstream, Downstream, and Legislative Compliance are currently investigating the matter.
Sylva, a former Bayelsa State governor and APC chieftain, was previously in the news when military officers raided his Abuja residence on October 25, alleging a coup plot. His brother and driver were arrested, but the ex-minister was abroad at the time.
Reacting to the EFCC notice, Sylva’s media aide, Julius Bokoru, described the development as politically motivated and procedurally flawed.
“No formal communication was extended to him, only a sudden digital proclamation designed to inflame public sentiment,” he said.
He argued that what started as a politically driven coup narrative had suddenly transformed into a financial accusation.
“These are deliberate machinations of those who dread Sylva’s political relevance,” Bokoru said.
“He has clean hands and will honour the EFCC invitation once he concludes medical treatment in the UK.”
He further mocked the spread of the accusations: “Only the Boys’ Brigade and Man’O’War remain uninvited to this theatre of persecution.”