Former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva has yet to return to the country, months after his Abuja home was searched by Defence Intelligence Agency operatives.
The raid was reportedly linked to investigations into President Bola Tinubu’s suspected coup attempt.
Sylva, who was also declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for alleged $14,859,257 fraud, could be tried in absentia for financial crimes.
Top officials from the Department of State Services and the EFCC told one of our correspondents that the former governor was currently being pursued by the International Criminal Police Organization and other Nigerian crime-fighting partners.
In October 2025, the Defence Headquarters denied rumors of a coup attempt, despite the arrest and incarceration of 16 officers accused of supporting the conspiracy.
On October 18, 2025, Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau, Director of Defence Information, issued a statement denying a Sahara Reporters story linking the officers’ incarceration to a failed coup and the cancelation of the October 1 Independence Day parade.
Gusau described the report as “intended to cause unnecessary tension and distrust among the populace.”
“The ongoing investigation involving the 16 officers is a routine internal process aimed at ensuring discipline and professionalism within the ranks. An investigative panel has been duly constituted, and its findings will be made public,” he said.
However, on Monday, the military reversed course, acknowledging that there was actually a coup plot to destabilize Tinubu’s administration.
Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba, the new Director of Defence Information, presented the findings of the investigations into the detained officers, stating that the findings found other officers who face charges for plotting to overthrow the government.
He said, “The findings identified a number of officers with allegations of plotting to overthrow the government, which is inconsistent with the ethics, values, and professional standards required of members of the AFN.”
He stated that those indicted would be properly arraigned before relevant military judicial panels for prosecution in accordance with the Armed Forces Act and other applicable service laws.
Following the arrest of the 16 military officers, DIA operatives searched Sylva’s Abuja apartment on October 25, 2025.
Sylva was out of the country when his house was raided, but his younger brother, Paga, his special assistant on domestic affairs, and his driver were arrested during the operation.
In addition, the former governor was declared wanted on November 10, 2025, for an alleged case of “conspiracy and dishonest conversion” of $14,859,257, which was part of funds injected by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board into Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited for refinery construction.
However, Sylva’s Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Julius Bokoru, denied reports linking his principal to the coup plot as false and politically motivated.
He condemned the findings as the work of “desperate and self-seeking politicians seeking to actualize their ambitions ahead of the 2027 elections.”
In a statement, Bokoru denounced the EFCC’s move, saying that the former minister was undergoing a medical checkup in the United Kingdom and would accept the commission’s invitation when he returned to Nigeria.
Nonetheless, three months after being declared wanted, Sylva has yet to return to the country.
However, the EFCC had alerted Interpol to facilitate the arrest of the former governor.
Although the Interpol spokesperson in Nigeria, Benjamin Hundeyin, who also doubles as the Force Public Relations Officer, neither answered calls nor responded to messages sent to his phone, top security officers, including DSS and police personnel, stated that Interpol was involved in efforts to apprehend Sylva.
“Interpol was contacted immediately after the former governor was declared wanted. Apart from the EFCC, the service is also after him. He can’t hide forever. He should submit himself for investigation if he is indeed innocent.
“Nnamdi Kanu was out of the country for a while, thinking he was off the radar. But where is he today? We will also get Sylva,” said a DSS operative knowledgeable about the matter.
In the same vein, an EFCC officer, who spoke with Sunday PUNCH on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, disclosed that Sylva would be arraigned.
“He is still on our wanted list. We are looking for the right time to arraign him. However, investigations are ongoing. We are building our case against him, and when concluded, he will be charged,” the source said.
Asked if the commission would proceed to court before his apprehension, the source said Sylva could be arraigned in absentia.
“It is possible, and the law makes provision for it. However, we have not concluded that this is the option we will take. But legally, it is possible,” he added.
Another operative of the anti-graft agency urged the former governor to turn himself in.
“When a suspect of such status is declared wanted, all our partners around the world are placed on notice. Wherever he is, he will be traced. The right thing to do is to turn yourself in,” he added.
However, when contacted last Thursday, Sylva’s spokesperson refused to comment on the matter.
“Given the confirmation by the Defense Headquarters, this is now a national security matter. I am not in a position to comment on speculations, travel, or investigations. Relevant authorities are best placed to speak when appropriate,” Bokoru said in a text message.
