Timipre Sylva’s Aide Condemns EFCC Sealing Former Minister’s Maitama Residence
Julius Bokoru, Special Assistant to former Minister of Petroleum Timipre Sylva, has strongly criticised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for sealing his principal’s residence in the Maitama area of Abuja.
In a statement issued on Monday and titled “A Grave Breach of Decency: EFCC’s Attempted Raid and Defacement of Sylva’s Family Home,” Bokoru said the commission’s conduct showed a disregard for due process.
The action comes after the EFCC declared the former Bayelsa governor wanted in November over an alleged $14.8 million fraud. Before then, military intelligence officers had stormed Sylva’s home, arresting his brother and driver over supposed links to a failed coup attempt.
Bokoru, who previously faulted the EFCC for announcing Sylva as wanted without first inviting him, noted that the former minister had already written to the commission last week proposing a mutually convenient date to appear.
He described the latest attempt to access the property as an operation carried out “without a single letter, without a subpoena, without a warrant, without notification, and without even the most basic adherence to lawful process.”
He 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.”
