‘Make Yourself Available’ – EFCC Summons Former Gov. Timipre Sylva Over Alleged $14.86m Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has urged former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, to make himself available for questioning over an alleged $14.86 million fraud.

Recall that the EFCC had declared Sylva wanted in November 2025 in connection with an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion involving $14,859,257.

Sylva is listed as a defendant and described as “still at large” in a 13-count federal charge involving allegations of treason, terrorism-related offences, conspiracy and money laundering arising from the alleged coup plot.

Amid the allegations, Sylva on Monday announced his resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying he had forwarded a copy of his resignation letter to the EFCC and accusing the commission of acting as an organ of the ruling party.

The former Governor of Bayelsa State also accused the APC of abandoning its founding ideals, stressing that President Bola Tinubu’s administration had disappointed Nigerians.

His resignation was contained in a letter dated August 31, 2026, addressed and electronically transmitted to the APC Chairman of Ward 4 in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

Sylva said his decision to quit the party followed consultations with his family, associates, colleagues and sympathisers.

In response to Sylva’s allegation that the anti-graft agency had conducted itself more as an organ of the APC than as an institution of the state, the EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale, in a chat with Punch, said, “He has been declared wanted; he should make himself available to the commission.”

Timipre Sylva’s resignation from the APC also comes months after he was linked to an alleged coup plot against the administration of President Tinubu.