The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday declared former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and one-time Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, wanted over an alleged $14.8 million fraud.

This is containec in a statement issued by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale.

EFCC said Sylva is being sought in connection with a case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion of funds belonging to the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).

Specifically the anti-graft agency alleged that Sylva conspired with others to divert $14,859,257 — funds reportedly injected by the NCDMB into Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited for the construction of a refinery.

Besides, the Commission disclosed that it secured a warrant for Sylva’s arrest on November 6, 2025, from a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.

The order, issued by Justice D.I. Dipeolu, authorizes the EFCC, the police, or any law enforcement agency to arrest the former minister and bring him before the Commission for questioning.

Quoting the order, the EFCC stated: “An order is made issuing a warrant to the Applicant or any Officer of the Commission, Police, or any law enforcement officer for the arrest of the Respondent for the purpose of bringing him before the Commission to answer to the criminal offence he is alleged to have committed.”

It appealed to members of the public with credible information about Sylva’s whereabouts to contact any of its zonal offices across the country, the nearest police station, or other security agencies.

Sylva, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), served as Bayelsa State governor between 2007 and 2012 before his appointment as Minister of State for Petroleum Resources under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.