Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday descended on the upscale Maitama residence of former Petroleum Minister and Bayelsa APC leader, Chief Timipre Sylva, sealed the property, and spray-painted the walls in bold red with the words “EFCC — KEEP OFF”.
No court warrant. No prior notice. No invitation letter. Nothing.
In a blistering statement titled “A Grave Breach of Decency”, Sylva’s media aide, Chief Julius Bokoru, branded the raid “an act of terror against a vindictive assault on a family home and a dangerous abuse of state power.”
“What we witnessed today was not law enforcement; it was intimidation theatre,” Bokoru fumed. “They stormed the premises like armed robbers, defaced the walls like common vandals, and turned a family residence into a crime scene — all without a shred of legal process.”
He revealed that Sylva’s children, relatives, and domestic staff have been virtually under house arrest for weeks, unable to travel freely, and now find themselves trapped inside a house publicly branded like the property of a fugitive.
“Where are his children supposed to go?” Bokoru asked. “How long must innocent family members live in this climate of fear because of political witch-hunting?”
The aide insisted that Chief Sylva has always cooperated with investigators whenever properly invited, adding that Monday’s operation “bore all the hallmarks of local political rivalry masquerading as federal action.”
He pointedly distanced President Bola Tinubu from the incident: “We are convinced Mr. President is not aware of, nor would he endorse, this kind of Gestapo tactic. This is the handiwork of overzealous elements weaponising federal institutions for partisan vendetta.”
Bokoru warned that turning the EFCC into a tool of political intimidation “weakens our democracy and erodes public trust in every institution.”
As of press time, the EFCC had not issued any official statement explaining the action or confirming whether it was backed by a court order.
But in the leafy streets of Maitama, one thing is clear tonight: the red paint is still dripping on Sylva’s walls, and the battle lines between the former minister and his accusers just got a lot uglier.
