Nigerian Former Governor Placed on FBI and Interpol Watchlists, Reasons Emerge
- EFCC declares former Petroleum Minister Timipre Sylva wanted for alleged conversion of $14.8 million linked to the NCDMB refinery project
- The ex-Bayelsa governor is placed on the FBI, Interpol, and UK security watchlists following a court-issued arrest warrant
- Sylva’s media aide, Julius Bokoru, accuses the EFCC of political persecution and says his principal will honour the invitation after returning from the UK
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, wanted for alleged conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257 said to have been provided by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board for a refinery project.
In a public notice released on Monday, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale said the funds were meant for Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited.
Source: Getty Images
The commission obtained a Federal High Court warrant on November 6, 2025, mandating security agencies to arrest Sylva and bring him before investigators.
Ex-governor placed on global security watchlists
Punch reported that a senior official of the commission confirmed that Sylva has been placed on the watchlists of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States, Interpol, the Metropolitan Police in the United Kingdom, and similar agencies in Canada.
The source disclosed that the former minister had previously been visiting the EFCC headquarters until he abruptly stopped appearing.
“The case has been on for a long time. The former minister was visiting our office until he later stopped. So, now that we have declared him wanted, he has also been placed on the watchlists of the US FBI, Interpol, and other security agencies,” the source said.
The former Bayelsa governor is currently in the United Kingdom, according to his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Julius Bokoru.
House investigation linked to refinery project
The EFCC’s action came less than a month after the House of Representatives ordered a probe into a separate $35 million investment by the NCDMB in the same refinery project that failed to materialise.
Source: Facebook
The motion, moved by lawmaker Billy Osawaru, raised concerns about the whereabouts of the Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited despite substantial federal funding over five years ago.
Stakeholders had in May 2024 petitioned the EFCC to investigate the matter, but the agency allegedly took no public action.
The House later mandated its Committees on Midstream, Downstream, and Legislative Compliance to investigate and report back within four weeks.
Sylva, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, has remained a controversial political figure. His residence in Abuja was raided by soldiers on October 25 over alleged links to a coup plot.
During that incident, his younger brother, Paga, and his driver were arrested while Sylva was reportedly abroad.
Aide alleges political persecution
Reacting to the EFCC declaration, Bokoru described the development as politically motivated. He said Sylva received no official communication from the commission before his name and photograph were circulated publicly.
“No formal communication was extended to him, no established protocol observed, only a sudden digital proclamation designed, it would seem, to inflame public sentiment and manufacture yet another episode of orchestrated hostility,” he said.
Bokoru questioned how an alleged coup matter had suddenly become a financial case.
“It is, to say the least, curious that what was once whispered in corridors as a ‘coup matter’ has now quietly metamorphosed into a financial allegation.”
He further alleged that unseen forces were bent on tarnishing Sylva’s reputation, describing the situation as a “coordinated and calculated political onslaught.”
Bokoru added that Sylva would honour the EFCC’s invitation once he concludes his medical trip in the United Kingdom, maintaining that the former minister had not diverted any funds and that the refinery project was legitimate and properly documented.
Full list of military coups in Nigeria
Legit.ng earlier reported that Nigeria had experienced a tumultuous past, with numerous military coups shaping the country's history since gaining independence in 1960.
A list of the military coups that have rocked the nation was compiled in this report, looking at the past instances where military intervention led to sudden leadership changes.
Source: Legit.ng
