Former Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, has written to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) requesting a mutually agreed date to honour the agency’s invitation over an alleged $14.8 million fraud.
In a letter dated November 24 and acknowledged by the EFCC on November 26, Sylva faulted the commission’s decision to declare him wanted, insisting he had never ignored any lawful summons. He explained that he was currently undergoing urgent medical treatment for what he described as a “life-threatening condition.”
According to him, consultations were ongoing with his medical team to determine whether he could temporarily suspend treatment to physically appear before investigators.
“In 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,” he wrote.
“I 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.”
Sylva said the development came on the heels of weeks of pressure on him and his family following what he described as an “unverified accusation” linking him to an alleged plot to undermine the authority of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He recalled that the allegation led to a military raid on his Abuja residence, during which several individuals—including his drivers, security aides and domestic staff—were arrested and have remained in custody.
The former minister said he was shocked to learn that he had been declared wanted by the EFCC on November 10, 2025, noting that he had previously honoured an invitation from the commission in December 2024 regarding the same matter. He said he was granted administrative bail on self-recognition and told he would be contacted if his presence was required again.
“To the best of my knowledge and belief, no further invitation or correspondence was issued to me thereafter,” he said, describing the EFCC’s public notice as “deeply surprising and profoundly unsettling.”
He also rejected claims that he had jumped bail, insisting that he violated no condition and that no such incident occurred.
Sylva further argued that recent actions taken against him could create “a public impression of political witch-hunt,” adding that he appeared to have been targeted “since the beginning of this administration.”
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sylva has recently been linked to a rumoured aborted coup. His Abuja home was raided by operatives believed to be from military intelligence, and his younger brother, Paga Sylva, along with his driver, were reportedly arrested during the operation.
His spokesperson, Julius Bokoru, confirmed the raid but denied Sylva’s involvement in any coup plot. He accused unnamed political actors of attempting to malign the former governor because they see him as a threat to their ambitions. Bokoru also criticised the EFCC for declaring Sylva wanted, claiming the commission issued no prior invitation.
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