Julius Bokoru, the special assistant to Timipre Sylva, former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and ex-Governor of Bayelsa State, has condemned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for sealing his principal’s Maitama home in Abuja, describing the action as unlawful, vindictive, and a violation of democratic norms.
Bokoru, in a statement titled, “a grave breach of decency: EFCC’s attempted raid and defacement of Sylva’s family home”, said the operation was executed “without a single letter, without a subpoena, without a warrant, without notification, and without even the most basic adherence to lawful process”.
He said: “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 Chief Timipre Sylva, was nothing short of an affront to decency and a troubling assault on the very principles that underpin a civilised society.”
According to him, “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 described the residence as a family space where “Chief Sylva’s children, relatives, and staff have been effectively encircled for weeks” and which has become “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,” he said.
He further asked: “Where, one must ask, are his children expected to go? How long must they endure this atmosphere of fear and uncertainty?”
Bokoru said the EFCC’s conduct was arbitrary and inconsistent with the values of an institution established to protect justice, adding that “it was not how an institution established to uphold justice should behave.”
He also dismissed any suggestion that President Bola Tinubu sanctioned the operation, saying: “We remain firmly convinced that President 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.”
According to him, “This latest incident bears all the hallmarks of local political rivalry being misinterpreted, or mischievously presented, as federal instruction. It is a dangerous muddying 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 added.
Bokoru also noted that some of Sylva’s aides and domestic staff — Paganengigha Anagha, Friday Lusa Paul, Musa Mohammed, and Police Officer Reuben Ayuba — remained in detention, insisting they were being held “for weeks on vague, insubstantial, and nearly non-existent 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 said.
“Their prolonged detention is unjust. Their suffering is needless. And their situation is emblematic of the wider injustice unfolding before the nation.”
Despite the situation, Bokoru said they remain optimistic: “Yet, in spite of the pain and the 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.”
Earlier in November, SaharaReporters reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared Sylva, wanted in connection with an alleged $14,859,257 fraud.
In a statement, Dele Oyewale, Head of Media & Publicity for the EFCC, said Sylva is wanted for Conspiracy and Dishonest Conversion of funds that were injected by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) into Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited for the construction of a refinery.
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Source: Saharareporters
