ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has renewed its call for former Bayelsa State Gov. Timipre Sylva to appear before investigators over allegations involving nearly 14.86 million dollars in public funds linked to a proposed refinery project.
The EFCC says the money formed part of an investment made by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board in Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited. Investigators allege the funds were dishonestly converted rather than used for the purpose for which they were approved.
EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale said the commission still expects Sylva to report for questioning. “He has been declared wanted; he should make himself available to the commission,” Oyewale said, reinforcing the agency’s position that the former minister remains under investigation.
A Federal High Court in Lagos had earlier issued a warrant for Sylva’s arrest, authorizing the EFCC and other security agencies to bring him in for questioning. The allegations have not resulted in a conviction, and Sylva has denied wrongdoing and challenged suggestions that he deliberately avoided investigators.
The case has taken on a political dimension following Sylva’s resignation from the ruling All Progressives Congress. In announcing his departure, he accused the anti graft agency of acting more like an arm of the governing party than an independent institution of the state.
Sylva also criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration and said the APC had moved away from the ideals on which it was founded. The EFCC has rejected claims that its investigation is politically motivated, saying the inquiry began before Sylva’s latest break with the party.
The former governor had previously indicated that he was prepared to meet investigators. After being declared wanted, he wrote to the EFCC asking for an agreed date to appear, saying he had been receiving medical treatment and needed clearance from his doctors before returning.
Sylva is a prominent political figure from Nigeria’s oil producing Niger Delta. He served as governor of Bayelsa State and later became minister of state for petroleum resources under former President Muhammadu Buhari, placing him at the center of Nigeria’s strategically important oil and gas sector.
The investigation has drawn wider attention because of Nigeria’s long running struggle with corruption allegations involving public funds and energy-sector projects. Questions over how money earmarked for refinery development is managed are particularly sensitive in a country that remains heavily dependent on petroleum revenue while continuing to import large quantities of refined fuel.
For now, the EFCC says Sylva must answer questions about the disputed funds, while the former minister maintains that he is being unfairly targeted. The next phase of the case will depend on whether he appears before investigators and whether prosecutors decide there is sufficient evidence to bring formal charges before a court.
