A former Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, has informed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission that he is currently undergoing urgent medical treatment for a life-threatening condition.
The development,he said, couldn’t allow him to appear before the Commission for earlier interrogation which declared him wanted in connection with an alleged $14.8 million fraud.
He expressed displeasure with the EFCC for placing him on wanted list,saying the act was unnecessary since he was not evading the commission.
In a letter he wrote to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Sylva requested that the agency should provide him with a specific date to appear before investigators.
The letter dated November 24, 2025 and acknowledged by the EFCC on November 26, 2025, quoted that he is in continuous consultation with his medical team to determine whether he can suspend the treatment long enough to honour the EFCC invitation.
He assured the commission of his willingness to appear once his doctors confirm that it is safe for him to do so.
He said: “In view of the foregoing, I most humbly request that a mutually agreed date be set subject to medical clearance to enable me 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”.
Reflecting on the events in recent weeks, he said his family, close friends, supporters, associates, and compatriots had gone through an unusually distressing and confusing period.
He added: “What began with an unverified accusations linking me to an alleged plot to undermine a constitutional authority of the President and Commander-in-Chief, His Excellence, 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 Monday 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. To the best of my knowledge and belief, no further invitation or correspondence was issued to me thereafter”.
He 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.
“I am and have always been a law-abiding citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and I have never declined or evaded the invitation of any competent law enforcement institution.
“Furthermore, on 14 November 2025, it was publicly stated that I had jumped bail. For the sake of clarity, propriety and historical records, I must respectfully state that no such incident occurred not was any such bail condition in existence or ever violated by me.
“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 political witch-hunt by many. Also considering that I have appeared to be a target since the beginning of this administration,” he added.
