Former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and ex-Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of violating due process after operatives sealed his Maitama residence in Abuja.
In a strongly worded statement on Monday, Sylva’s media aide, Chief Julius Bokoru, described the EFCC’s action as an “aggressive intrusion” carried out without a warrant, subpoena, notification, or any lawful procedure.
Bokoru said EFCC officials forcefully entered the property and spray-painted ‘EFCC Keep Off’ on the walls, likening the treatment to that of a fugitive rather than a former governor and minister.
“What unfolded today at the Maitama residence of His Excellency, Chief Timipre Sylva, was nothing short of an affront to decency and a troubling assault on the very principles that underpin a civilised society,” Bokoru said.
He noted that Sylva’s family and domestic staff had already been “effectively encircled for weeks”, adding that the EFCC’s latest action had worsened an already distressing situation.
“Where are his children expected to go? How long must they endure this atmosphere of fear and uncertainty?” he asked.
Bokoru stressed that he does not believe President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is behind the continued actions against Sylva, insisting the President has a track record of respecting due process.
Instead, he alleged that the EFCC’s conduct “bears the hallmarks of local political rivalry being misinterpreted or mischievously presented as federal instruction.”
“Government agencies must never allow themselves to become weapons in political contests.
To do so weakens not only the institutions themselves but the very fabric of our democracy,” he added.
The statement also drew attention to the continued detention of several of Sylva’s aides and domestic workers Paganengigha Anagha, Friday Lusa Paul, Musa Mohammed, and Police Officer Reuben Ayuba who have reportedly been held for weeks on “vague and insubstantial allegations”.
Bokoru described their detention as unjust, needless, and emblematic of a wider political persecution.
Despite the escalating tensions, Sylva’s camp remains optimistic that the situation will be resolved within the bounds of the law.
“We believe justice will rise above intimidation, that truth will outlast malice, and that this too shall pass,” the statement concluded.