EFCC Orders Timipre Sylva to Appear Over Alleged $14.86m Refinery Fraud

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has asked former Bayelsa State Governor, Mr Timipre Sylva, to appear before the agency for questioning over an alleged $14.86 million fraud involving funds allocated to a refinery project.

EFCC spokesman, Mr Dele Oyewale, confirmed the directive on Monday, saying Sylva, who was declared wanted by the commission in November 2025, should make himself available to investigators.

The commission had accused Mr Sylva of conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14.859 million, part of 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 latest development came shortly after Mr Sylva announced his resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing what he described as the abandonment of the party’s founding ideals and failures by the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

Mr Sylva also copied the EFCC on his resignation letter and accused the commission of increasingly acting as an instrument of the ruling party.

Responding to the allegation, Mr Oyewale said the commission’s position was straightforward.

“He has been declared wanted; he should make himself available to the commission,” he said.

The timing of the EFCC’s renewed call has prompted political speculation, with some observers linking it to Sylva’s sudden departure from the APC.

Mr Sylva, who served and resigned as a junior minister of petroleum resources under the previous administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, is also linked to an alleged plot to overthrow Mr Tinubu’s government.

He is listed among the defendants in a 13-count charge filed by the federal government over the alleged coup plot.

Mr Sylva, according to multiple reports, is the alleged principal financier of the plot and is accused of contributing about N785 million through Purple Waves Limited, an Abuja-based company. He has denied his involvement.

The EFCC, however, maintains that its demand is connected to an existing investigation and his previous status as a wanted person.