By Hajara Abdullahi
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared a former Minister of Petroleum and former Governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, wanted over alleged money laundering charges.
This was disclosed on the Commission’s official Facebook page on Monday.
Sylva is wanted in connection with an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257 (Fourteen Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty-Nine Thousand, Two Hundred and Fifty-Seven Dollars), part of the 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 Commission had, on November 6, 2025, secured a warrant for Sylva’s arrest from a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos. The order, granted by Justice D.I. Dipeolu, stated:
“An order is made issuing a warrant to the applicant or any officer of the Commission, Police, or any law enforcement officer for the arrest of the respondent for the purpose of bringing him before the Commission to answer to the criminal offence he is alleged to have committed.”
The EFCC urged anyone with useful information about his whereabouts to contact any of its zonal directorates across the country, the nearest police station, or other security agencies.