BREAKING: EFCC DECLARES FORMER MINISTER TIMIPRE SYLVA WANTED OVER $14.8M REFINERY FUND ALLEGATIONS

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared Timipre Sylva, former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and ex-Governor of Bayelsa State, wanted over alleged misappropriation of US $14,859,257.

The EFCC said Sylva is wanted for “Conspiracy and Dishonest Conversion” 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 notice follows a warrant issued by a Lagos State High Court on November 6, 2025.

Sylva, 61, who hails from Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, previously served as governor from 2008 to 2012 and as minister from 2019 to 2023.

The EFCC has urged anyone with credible information on Sylva’s whereabouts to contact its offices in Lagos, Abuja, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, or other major cities, or call the tip-line at 08093322644.

This announcement represents a major step in the EFCC’s ongoing investigation into alleged high-level corruption within Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.