EFCC summons and declares Timipre Sylva wanted over alleged $14.86m refinery fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has issued a fresh summons to former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, over an alleged $14.86 million fraud. This came after the former governor accused the EFCC of conducting itself more as an organ of the All Progressives Congress, APC, than as an institution of the state. The […] EFCC issues fresh summons to ex-Gov Sylva over alleged fraud 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared former Bayelsa State Governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, wanted in connection with an alleged $14.86 million fraud.According to a public notice issued by EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale, Sylva is sought for alleged conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257. The sum formed 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 modular refinery.The anti-graft agency obtained an arrest warrant on November 6, 2025, from Justice D.I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos. The order authorises EFCC officers, police, or any law enforcement agent to arrest Sylva and bring him before the commission to answer the allegations.Sylva, 61, hails from Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. He previously served as Bayelsa governor and later as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources between 2019 and 2023.The EFCC has urged anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact any of its zonal offices across the country, call 08093322644, email the commission, or report to the nearest police station or security agency.The development follows earlier House of Representatives scrutiny of a related $35 million NCDMB investment in the same refinery project, which reportedly never materialised.