Alleged $14.8m Fraud: Sylva Asks EFCC for Appearance Date

By Awwal Owolabi

27 November 2025

News

Timipre Sylva, former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, has written to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) requesting a mutually agreed date to appear before the agency regarding an alleged $14.8 million fraud case.

In a letter dated November 24 and addressed to the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, Sylva faulted the commission’s decision to declare him wanted, asserting that he has never shunned any lawful invitation.

The former minister, who is currently receiving medical care for what he described as a “life-threatening condition,” said he is consulting with his doctors to determine when he can safely appear.

“In view of the foregoing, I most humbly request that a mutually agreed date be set, subject to medical clearance, to enable me appear physically and formally.

“I trust that the objective of your invitation is not to unalive, but to genuinely investigate an alleged crime,” Sylva wrote.

Sylva noted that he had previously honoured an EFCC invitation in December 2024 regarding the same matter and was granted administrative bail on self-recognition.

He expressed surprise at being declared wanted without receiving any subsequent correspondence.

The former governor also addressed recent events, including a raid on his Abuja residence, which he claimed was linked to an “unverified accusation” of a plot against President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

He denied jumping bail, stating, “no such incident occurred, nor was any such bail condition ever violated”.

Sylva warned that the actions against him could create a public impression of a “political witch-hunt,” adding that he appears to have been “a target since the beginning of this administration.”