The {Economic} and {Financial} Crimes Fee (EFCC) has declared former Minister of State for Petroleum Assets, Timipre Sylva, wished over an alleged $14,859,257 fraud.
In a public discover on Monday, EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, mentioned the funds have been supplied by the Nigerian Content material Growth and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to Atlantic Worldwide Refinery and Petrochemical Restricted.
Senior officers of the fee confirmed that Sylva has additionally been positioned on the watchlists of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Interpol, the UK Metropolitan Police, and safety businesses in Canada and different international locations.
Sylva’s Particular Assistant on Media and Publicity, Julius Bokoru, mentioned the previous minister is presently in the UK.
A supply throughout the EFCC acknowledged that the investigation had been ongoing: “The previous minister was visiting our workplace however later stopped. Now that he has been declared wished, he has additionally been positioned on the watchlists of the US FBI, Interpol, and different safety businesses.”
Oyewale famous that the EFCC obtained a Federal Excessive Court docket warrant for Sylva’s arrest in Lagos on 6 November 2025. Justice D. I. Dipeolu issued the order, directing safety businesses to arrest the previous minister and current him earlier than the EFCC to reply to the allegations.
This growth comes 27 days after the Home of Representatives resolved to research the alleged mismanagement of a $35 million funding by the NCDMB in a modular refinery undertaking within the Niger Delta that was by no means accomplished.
The movement, sponsored by Billy Osawaru, queried the non-existence of Atlantic Worldwide Refinery and Petrochemical Restricted regardless of the numerous federal funding.
Stakeholders had petitioned the EFCC in Might 2024 to research the NCDMB’s multi-million-dollar investments, however the fee didn’t take motion on the time.
The Home has since directed its Committees on Midstream, Downstream, and Legislative Compliance to research and submit findings.
Sylva, a former governor of Bayelsa State and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was not too long ago within the information after his Abuja residence was raided by troopers on 25 October over an alleged coup plot. His Particular Assistant on Home Affairs, Paga, and his driver have been arrested, whereas Sylva was reportedly overseas.
Reacting to the EFCC declaration, his media aide, Bokoru, described the event as politically motivated, alleging that the fee didn’t observe due course of.
“No formal communication was prolonged to him. It seems to be an try and inflame public sentiment,” he mentioned. He additional claimed that allegations beforehand centred round a supposed coup had now “metamorphosed” into {financial} accusations.