In recent weeks, our nation has witnessed a troubling sequence of events surrounding His Excellency, Chief Timipre Sylva, CON — former Governor of Bayelsa State, former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, and a statesman whose contributions to national stability and reform remain profound and undeniable.
It is bewildering that, despite clear and formal communication between Chief Sylva and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), several of his aides continue to languish in unexplained detention. This persists even after Chief Sylva wrote to the EFCC, reaffirming his readiness to appear before the Commission on a mutually convenient date, subject only to his ongoing treatment for a life-threatening medical condition.
Before these developments, the public was unsettled by unfounded attempts to link him to a purported coup plot — allegations the Federal Government and the military have since dismissed in absolute terms. One would have expected that such clarity would steady the national conversation. Instead, events escalated further, culminating in public statements from the EFCC that appeared inconsistent with earlier engagements.
Yet the most distressing element of this saga is not the swirl of speculation, but the quiet suffering of innocent men caught in the crossfire. Mr Paganengigha Anagha, the first to be arrested, remains behind bars. Musa Mohammed, Chief Sylva’s driver, is still held. Police Officer Ayuba Reuben remains in custody. Mr Friday Lusa Paul, an escort driver, is also still detained. These individuals — fathers, husbands, ordinary Nigerians — have been held on grounds that appear unclear at best, and entirely vague to their traumatised families.
Compounding this, Chief Sylva’s Maitama residence has been under continuous security siege, with his young children and household effectively confined. Even routine communication with the press has come at personal risk to me and others.
These events carry a heavy toll — on individuals, on families, and on the democratic values that demand fairness, transparency and proportionality. They also risk overshadowing the legacy of a patriot who, against daunting odds, championed the Petroleum Industry Bill until it became the Petroleum Industry Act we rely upon today. As Governor, he ventured into the creeks to midwife the Presidential Amnesty Programme — a decisive intervention that restored peace and secured vital national revenues.
Such a figure cannot be reduced to a pawn in local political rivalries, nor targeted by those who see the coming electoral season as an opportunity to diminish him. Across the political spectrum, there remains a genuine and widespread belief that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR — a leader long regarded for his reformist courage — is not the architect of this prolonged ordeal. Only weeks ago, at the APC enlarged stakeholders’ meeting in Bayelsa, Chief Sylva expressed unambiguous support for the President’s second-term ambition, praising his transformational efforts across governance, healthcare, education and economic recovery.
It is therefore imperative that state actors or parastatal operatives do not mistake personal or local disputes for federal directives. What began as a local political disagreement must not be allowed to mutate into a national crisis.
Today, I make a humble but resolute appeal: that Mr Paganengigha Anagha, Musa Mohammed, Police Officer Ayuba Reuben and Mr Friday Lusa Paul be released to rejoin their anxious families; that the 24-hour security encirclement around Chief Sylva’s children be lifted; and that the dignity of due process — the foundation of any civilised society — be restored.
Chief Sylva has already written to the EFCC, pledging to appear before the Commission on a medically feasible date agreed upon by both parties. This is the responsibility of any honourable man — and he has fulfilled it.
The many supporters of Chief Sylva, a significant bloc within the APC in Bayelsa and beyond, remain steadfast in their faith in President Tinubu’s leadership. They hope, earnestly and patiently, that this long night of anxiety will soon give way to a calmer, brighter morning.
