EFCC Tells Sylva: Make Yourself Available For Questioning Over Alleged $14.86m Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has challenged former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, to make himself available for questioning after he accused the anti-graft agency of acting like an organ of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, gave the response on Monday while reacting to Sylva’s allegation contained in his resignation letter from the ruling party.

“He has been declared wanted; he should make himself available to the commission,” Oyewale said when asked to respond to the former governor’s allegation.

Sylva announced his resignation from the APC on Monday, saying he could no longer remain in a party whose leaders, in his view, had abandoned the principles upon which it was founded.

In his resignation letter addressed to the APC chairman of Ward 4 in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, the former governor accused the party of abandoning its founding ideals and criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

He also deliberately copied the EFCC in the letter, alleging that the commission had recently conducted itself more like an organ of the APC than an institution of the state.

“I am deliberately putting the EFCC in copy of this letter because, of late, it has conducted itself more as an organ of the APC than as an institution of State,” Sylva wrote.

The former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources further alleged that his resignation could trigger increased scrutiny of himself and his associates.

“I am fully aware that this action of mine may invite a redoubled witch-hunt against me and my associates, but that is a risk I am willing to take,” he stated.

Sylva, a founding member of the APC, said he had consulted his family, associates, colleagues and sympathisers before deciding to leave the party.

He described the APC as a “floundering ship” and said the ideals that guided its formation had been “thoroughly and unrecognisably thwarted.”

He also accused the APC-led Federal Government of disappointing the majority of Nigerians, saying he could see neither a credible attempt nor any possibility of a reversal of its current direction.

The former governor said he believed Nigerians would use the next general election to change the political direction of the country.

$14.86m Fraud Allegation

The EFCC declared Sylva wanted in November 2025 over an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion involving $14,859,257.

The commission has urged him to make himself available as the investigation into the allegation continues.

Sylva’s latest confrontation with the EFCC comes amid other legal issues involving the former governor.

He is listed as a defendant in a separate 13-count federal charge arising from an alleged plot against the administration of President Bola Tinubu. The charges include allegations bordering on treason, terrorism-related offences, conspiracy and money laundering.

Sylva has denied involvement in the alleged plot, and the allegations remain subject to judicial proceedings.

In May 2026, the Federal High Court in Abuja granted an interim forfeiture order covering nine properties linked to Sylva following an application by the EFCC.

The former governor has also previously been linked to an investigation into an alleged plot against the Tinubu administration. Reports have alleged that he left the country after the investigation became public.

In July 2026, the Department of State Services arraigned five of Sylva’s associates over allegations that they concealed his whereabouts after he was declared wanted in connection with the alleged plot. They pleaded not guilty and were granted bail.

Sylva served as governor of Bayelsa State from 2007 to 2012 before later serving as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources under former President Muhammadu Buhari.