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Alleged fraud: EFCC seals Sylva’s Abuja house
Julius Bokoru, Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs to former Minister of Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, has condemned the sealing of his principal’s Maitama residence in Abuja by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Bokoru expressed his displeasure in a statement issued on Monday, titled “A grave breach of decency: EFCC’s attempted raid and defacement of Sylva’s family home.”
In November, the EFCC declared Sylva wanted over an alleged $14.8m fraud. Earlier, agents of the military intelligence raided his Abuja home, arresting his brother and driver over his alleged link to an alleged failed coup attempt. Sylva’s media aide had faulted the EFCC for failing to invite the former minister before launching a manhunt for him.
Also, Sylva wrote to the EFCC last week, seeking a mutually agreed date to honour its invitation.
Bokoru said the latest action by the commission was undertaken “without a single letter, without a subpoena, without a warrant, without notification, and without even the most basic adherence to lawful process.”
The statement added, “No courtesy. No procedure. No humanity. It is behaviour unbecoming of any institution that claims to act in the national interest. 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.
“Officers of the EFCC attempted yet another aggressive intrusion into his home and proceeded to spray-paint his walls in stark red, emblazoning the words ‘EFCC — Keep Off’ as though marking the property of a fugitive rather than the home of a respected statesman.”
He said what made the action even more distressing was that the residence was where Sylva’s children, relatives and staff had been confined for weeks.
“It is the last space available to them, especially now that it appears they are not permitted to leave the country freely. To violate such a place without warning, without justification, is to inflict terror upon innocent people who have no connection whatsoever to political gamesmanship.
“Where, one must ask, are his children expected to go? How long must they endure this atmosphere of fear and uncertainty?” Bokoru queried.
Describing the EFCC’s conduct as “arbitrary” and “vindictive,” he said it violated democratic principles and the values the commission was established to uphold.
Bokoru, however, absolved President Bola Tinubu of involvement.
“We remain firmly convinced that President Bola Tinubu is not involved in these excesses. Throughout his long and distinguished public life, the President has shown unwavering respect for due process, fairness, and institutional integrity.
“This latest incident bears all the hallmarks of local political rivalry being misinterpreted, or mischievously presented, as federal instruction. It is a dangerous muddling of partisan ambition with national authority.
“Government agencies and parastatals 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 described Sylva as a statesman who had served Nigeria “with calmness, loyalty and an almost disarming sense of patriotism,” saying the former minister had remained dignified even in the face of provocation.
Bokoru also reminded the public that several of Sylva’s aides and domestic staff — including Paganengigha Anagha, Friday Lusa Paul, Musa Mohammed, and Police Officer Reuben Ayuba — were still in detention, held for weeks on what he described as unclear and insubstantial allegations.
“These are ordinary men, with families and hopes of their own, now caught in a political dragnet that has stripped them of clarity, certainty, and liberty,” he stated.
“Their prolonged detention is unjust. Their suffering is needless. And their situation is emblematic of the wider injustice unfolding before the nation.
“Yet, in spite of the pain and deep emotional strain of this moment, we remain hopeful. Nigeria has weathered storms before — storms of uncertainty, of injustice, of heavy-handedness — and emerged stronger.
“We believe justice will rise above intimidation, that truth will outlast malice, and that, as with all trials faced with dignity and faith, this too shall pass.”
