The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared a former Minister of Petroleum Resources and former Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, wanted.
The anti-graft agency announced the declaration on its official Facebook page on Monday, stating that Sylva is sought for “an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion” of funds.
According to the EFCC, the sum in question is $14,859,257 (Fourteen Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty-Nine Thousand, Two Hundred and Fifty-Seven US Dollars).
The commission alleges that the money was 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 declaration follows a legal order secured by the Commission. On November 6, 2025, the EFCC obtained a warrant for the former minister’s arrest from a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.
The warrant, granted by Justice D.I. Dipeolu, authorized the EFCC 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 EFCC has called on the public for assistance, urging anyone with useful information on Sylva’s whereabouts to contact any of its zonal offices nationwide, the nearest police station, or other security agencies.
This development marks a significant escalation in the legal troubles of the former minister, who has been a prominent figure in Nigeria’s political and energy sectors.
