๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐.๐๐ฆ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฎ๐: ๐๐ฒ๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐
Former Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, has written to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission requesting a mutually agreed date to honour its invitation over an alleged $14.8m fraud.
Sylva, in a letter he personally signed and addressed to EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, faulted the agencyโs move to declare him wanted, insisting he had never ignored any lawful summons.
In the letter dated November 24 and acknowledged by the EFCC on November 26, the former minister said he was currently undergoing urgent treatment for a โlife-threatening conditionโ and was consulting with his medical team to determine whether he could temporarily suspend treatment to appear before investigators.
โIn view of the foregoing, I most humbly request that a mutually agreed date be set, subject to medical clearance, to enable me appear physically and formally,โ he wrote.
โI trust that the objective of your invitation is not to unalive, but to genuinely investigate an alleged crime. For only the living can appropriately, fully and responsibly respond to any allegation, which I firmly and respectfully deny.โ
Sylva recounted recent incidents that had put him and his family under pressure, beginning with what he described as an โunverified accusationโ linking him to a plot to undermine President Bola Tinubuโs authority.
He said the issue escalated into a raid on his Abuja residence by military personnel, during which his drivers, security aides and domestic staff were arrested and remain detained.
โWhile still grappling with the emotional and psychological strain of those events, I was on Monday, November 10, 2025, publicly declared wanted by your esteemed agency over an alleged $14.8m fraud,โ he added.
Sylva maintained that he honoured an EFCC invitation in December 2024 regarding the same case, after which he was granted administrative bail on self-recognition and told he would be contacted when needed. He insisted that no further invitation was issued before the public notice declaring him wanted.
He dismissed claims that he jumped bail, stressing that he did not violate any bail conditions and was surprised to learn of the declaration through the media.
According to him, the recent actions against him may create โa public impression of political witch-hunt,โ noting that he has appeared to be a target since the start of the current administration.
Sylva, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, has recently been linked to rumours of an aborted military coup.
His Abuja home was raided by operatives believed to be from military intelligence, after which he was declared wanted by the EFCC. His younger brother, Paga, who serves as his Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs, and his driver were reportedly arrested during the operation.
His Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Julius Bokoru, confirmed the raid but dismissed any coup involvement, accusing unnamed politicians of attempting to tarnish Sylvaโs image because they consider him a threat.
Bokoru also faulted the EFCC for declaring Sylva wanted, arguing that the former minister was never invited before the announcement.
