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Breaks silence on link to alleged coup plot
From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
A former Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, has written to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) asking the commission to give him a date for his appearance.
The EFCC had recently declared Sylva wanted in connection with the $14,859,257 injected by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) into Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited for the construction of a refinery.
Sylva, in a letter he personally signed and addressed to the Chairman of the commission, particularly frowned on the move by the EFCC to declare him wanted over an alleged $14.8 million fraud.
The former minister, in the letter dated Monday, November 24, but received and acknowledged by the EFCC on Wednesday, November 26, 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.
“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.”
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Sylva, while recalling the events of the past weeks, said his family, close friends, supporters, associates, and compatriots had endured an extraordinarily and bewildering period.
He said, “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 publicly declared wanted by your esteemed agency on Monday, 10 November 2025, in relation to an alleged $24.8 million fraud matter.”
Sylva, who also recalled that he had honoured an invitation by the EFCC on the same matter, expressed surprise that he had been declared wanted despite his well-known disposition towards cooperation with lawful authorities.
He insisted that he had always been a law-abiding citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and denied reports that he had previously jumped bail.
“As these developments continue to unfold, it is difficult to dismiss the impression that matters may be proceeding in a manner capable of causing public misinterpretation. For example, these frenzied and almost desperate actions may be viewed as a political witch-hunt by many. Also considering that I have appeared to be a target since the beginning of this administration,” he added.
