Former Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, has written to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission asking for a date for his appearance.
The former minister, in a letter he personally signed and addressed to the Chairman of the anti-graft agency, frowned on the move by the commission to declare him wanted over an alleged $14.8million fraud.
Sylva in the letter dated November 24th, but was received and acknowledged by the EFCC on Wednesday, November 26th; Informed the commission that he was currently receiving urgent medical care for a life-threatening condition.
He said he was in constant consultation with his medical team to know whether he could discontinue his treatment to enable him to present himself to the EFCC for interrogation.
Sylvia stated, “In view of the foregoing, I most humbly request that a mutually agreed date be set, subject to medical clearance, to enable me to appear physically and formally.
“I trust that the objective of your invitation is not to unalive, but to genuinely investigate an alleged crime, in which case my request will be in order. For only the living may appropriately, fully and responsibly respond to any allegation, which I firmly and respectfully deny”.
He, however, recalled the events of the past weeks and said they had his family, close friends, supporters, associates and compatriots had endured an extraordinarily and bewildering period.
“What began with an unverified accusation linking me to an alleged plot to undermine a constitutional authority of the President and Commander-in-Chief, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, escalated into a dramatic military operation at my private residence, during which several individuals were apprehended (drivers, security and domestic staff) and remain in detention.
“While still grappling with the emotional and psychological strain of those events, I was on 10 November 2025, publicly declared wanted by your esteemed agency in relation to an alleged $24.8million fraud matter.
“It is pertinent to recall that I had been formally invited by the EFCC in December 2024 regarding the same matter. After providing all required explanations, I was granted administrative bail on self-recognition, and I was informed that I would be reinvited should my further input be necessary, ” Sylvia stated.
Sylva said he was deeply surprised and profoundly unsettled to learn through a public announcement that he had been declared wanted despite his well-known disposition towards cooperation with lawful authorities.
He continued, “To the best of my knowledge and belief, no further invitation or correspondence was issued to me thereafter.”
“On 14 November 2025, it was publicly alleged that I had jumped bail. For the sake of accuracy, propriety, and historical record, I must categorically state that no such incident occurred, nor was there ever any bail condition in place that I could have violated.
“As these events continue to unfold, it is hard to ignore the impression that the proceedings may create public misunderstandings. To many, these seemingly frantic and desperate actions could appear as a political witch-hunt.
“Given that I have appeared to be a target since the start of this administration, I am deeply concerned.
“I was profoundly surprised and unsettled to learn through a public announcement that I had been declared wanted, despite my consistent cooperation with lawful authorities.
“I have always been, and remain, a law-abiding citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and I have never declined or evaded any invitation from any competent law enforcement agency,” Sylva concluded.
The media reported on November 11 that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission declared former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, wanted over an alleged conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257.
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