The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has sealed the Maitama, Abuja residence of former Bayelsa State Governor and ex-Minister of Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, sparking strong condemnation from his Special Assistant, Julius Bokoru.
Bokoru, in a statement on Monday titled “A grave breach of decency: EFCC’s attempted raid and defacement of Sylva’s family home,” faulted the commission’s approach, describing it as a deviation from lawful procedure.
The development comes weeks after the anti-graft agency declared Sylva wanted over an alleged $14.8 million fraud.
The former minister had subsequently communicated to the EFCC, requesting a mutually agreeable date to honour its invitation.
The latest action adds to a series of security operations around the ex-governor, including last month’s storming of the same property by military intelligence operatives, who arrested his brother and driver over alleged links to a failed coup plot.
Bokoru accused the EFCC of acting without due process, insisting that the sealing of the residence occurred in complete disregard of standard legal requirements.
“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,” the statement read in part.
