Former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, may be arraigned in absentia over alleged financial crimes as security agencies intensify efforts to track him months after operatives of the Defence Intelligence Agency raided his Abuja residence.
Sunday PUNCH gathered that Sylva has remained outside the country since the October 2025 operation, which was linked to investigations surrounding an alleged plot against President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The former governor had earlier been declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over the alleged diversion of $14,859,257.
Senior officials of the Department of State Services and the EFCC said that the International Criminal Police Organisation, alongside other domestic and foreign partners, had been alerted to assist in tracing the former governor.
The development comes amid shifting official narratives over the alleged coup plot. In October 2025, the Defence Headquarters dismissed reports of an attempted overthrow of the government, despite the arrest of 16 military officers.
The then Director of Defence Information, Brig Gen Tukur Gusau, described reports linking the detentions to a failed coup as misleading and capable of causing public anxiety.
However, the military later confirmed that investigations had indeed uncovered a plot.
Presenting findings last Monday, the new Director of Defence Information, Maj Gen Samaila Uba, said several officers had cases to answer over allegations of planning to topple the government, adding that those indicted would face trial before appropriate military judicial panels in line with existing laws.
Following the arrest of the officers, Sylva’s Abuja home was raided on October 25, 2025.
Although the former governor was reportedly abroad at the time, his younger brother, Paga, who serves as his Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs, and his driver were arrested during the operation.
On November 10, 2025, the EFCC declared Sylva wanted over an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257, said to be part of funds provided by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board to Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited for a refinery project.
Sylva’s Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Julius Bokoru, has repeatedly dismissed links between his principal and the alleged plot, describing the reports as baseless and politically motivated.
He also said the former minister was undergoing medical checks in the United Kingdom and would honour the EFCC’s invitation upon his return.
Despite the assurances, findings by PUNCH revealed that the anti-graft agency had formally contacted Interpol to facilitate Sylva’s arrest.
Although calls and messages to the Nigeria Police Force spokesperson and Interpol contact, Benjamin Hundeyin, were unanswered, security sources confirmed international cooperation in the manhunt.
A DSS operative familiar with the matter said Sylva could not evade the law indefinitely, urging him to submit himself for investigation if he had nothing to hide.
Meanwhile, an EFCC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that the commission was considering arraigning the former governor even in his absence.
“He remains on our wanted list.
“Investigations are ongoing, and once concluded, he will be charged. The law permits arraignment in absentia, although a final decision has not been taken,” the source said.
Another EFCC operative also advised Sylva to turn himself in, noting that once a suspect of his status is declared wanted, global partners are placed on alert.
When contacted last Thursday, Bokoru declined further comment, saying the matter had assumed national security dimensions and that relevant authorities would speak at the appropriate time.