Photo: Timipre Sylva
…Fmr Petroleum Minister linked to alleged coup plot
By Douglas Maha, Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, wanted over an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14.8 million.
In a public notice issued on Monday, the anti-graft agency said the funds in question were reportedly injected by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) into Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited for the construction of a refinery project in Bayelsa State.
According to the EFCC, the declaration followed a warrant of arrest issued by the Lagos State High Court on November 6, 2025. The statement, signed by EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, reads:
“The public is hereby notified that Timipre Sylva, a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and former Governor of Bayelsa State, is wanted by the EFCC in connection with an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257.”
The EFCC urged anyone with useful information about Sylva’s whereabouts to contact any of its offices nationwide or report to the nearest police station or security agency. The Commission listed its offices in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, Kaduna, and other cities as contact points, and provided a hotline and email address — info@efcc.gov.ng.
Sources within the anti-graft agency said the ongoing investigation relates to the management of funds invested by NCDMB in the Atlantic International Refinery, a project meant to promote local content and private participation in the petroleum sector. The agency alleges that part of the money may have been misappropriated through questionable transactions.
The EFCC declaration comes barely a month after Sylva’s name surfaced in an alleged coup plot that reportedly led to a raid on his Maitama residence in Abuja by a special military team. Security sources claimed that the operation, conducted in connection with a broader investigation into alleged moves to destabilize the government, resulted in the arrest of one of Sylva’s relatives.
Although the Defence Headquarters and the Nigerian Army have not confirmed details of the raid, reports indicated that Sylva had been out of the country at the time. His media aide, however, dismissed the coup allegations as “baseless, politically motivated, and an attempt to tarnish his image.”
Timipre Sylva, who governed Bayelsa State from 2008 to 2012, later served as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources under the Muhammadu Buhari administration between 2019 and 2023. He resigned to contest the Bayelsa governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) but lost to the incumbent, Governor Douye Diri of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The EFCC’s declaration adds a new twist to the legal and political troubles surrounding the former minister, who has faced multiple corruption allegations in the past. The anti-graft agency said its operatives are working with other security agencies to track Sylva’s movements and bring him in for questioning.
As of press time, neither Sylva nor his legal representatives had issued an official statement in response to the EFCC’s latest notice.
