There was commotion at the Maitama residence of former Bayelsa Governor and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, as security operatives reportedly surrounded his home, leaving his children and family members in shock and fear.
Sylva, a key APC chieftain, has been accused of financing a coup plot against President Bola Tinubu’s government and later declared wanted by the EFCC over alleged diversion of funds meant for Brass Petrochemical, a claim he vehemently denies.
In a statement titled, “Detention of Sylva’s aides: a call for reason, humanity and due process,” Chief Julius Bokoru, Sylva’s Special Assistant on Media, raised alarm over the continued detention of four aides and domestic staff arrested in October during the raid.
He identified them as Mr Paganengigha Anagha, Musa Mohammed (Sylva’s driver), Police Officer Ayuba Reuben, and Friday Lusa Paul (escort driver).
“Yet the most distressing element of this saga is not the swirl of speculation, but the quiet suffering of innocent men caught in the crossfire. These individuals, fathers, husbands, ordinary Nigerians, have been held on grounds that appear unclear at best, and entirely vague to their traumatised families,” Bokoru said.
He demanded answers, questioning why Sylva’s aides remain detained despite his clear communication with the EFCC:
“This persists even after Chief Sylva wrote to the EFCC, reaffirming his readiness to appear before the Commission on a mutually convenient date, subject only to his ongoing treatment for a life-threatening medical condition.
“Before these developments, the public was unsettled by unfounded attempts to link him to a purported coup plot, allegations the Federal Government and the military have since dismissed in absolute terms.
“One would have expected that such clarity would steady the national conversation. Instead, events escalated further, culminating in public statements from the EFCC that appeared inconsistent with earlier engagements.”
Bokoru stressed that Sylva, with his outstanding legacy in the petroleum sector and the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme, deserves respect, not harassment.
“These events carry a heavy toll on individuals, on families, and on the democratic values that demand fairness, transparency and proportionality.
“They also risk overshadowing the legacy of a patriot who, against daunting odds, championed the Petroleum Industry Bill until it became the Petroleum Industry Act we rely upon today.
“As Governor, he ventured into the creeks to midwife the Presidential Amnesty Programme, a decisive intervention that restored peace and secured vital national revenues.
“Such a figure cannot be reduced to a pawn in local political rivalries, nor targeted by those who see the coming electoral season as an opportunity to diminish him.
“Across the political spectrum, there remains a genuine and widespread belief that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a leader long regarded for his reformist courage, is not the architect of this prolonged ordeal.
“Only weeks ago, at the APC enlarged stakeholders’ meeting in Bayelsa, Chief Sylva expressed unambiguous support for the President’s second-term ambition, praising his transformational efforts across governance, healthcare, education and economic recovery.
“It is therefore imperative that state actors or parastatal operatives do not mistake personal or local disputes for federal directives. What began as a local political disagreement must not be allowed to mutate into a national crisis.”
Bokoru called for the immediate release of Sylva’s aides and pleaded for the siege around his children to be lifted, insisting that due process is the cornerstone of any civilized society.
