Julius Bokoru, Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs to former Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, has raised the alarm that four of Sylva’s aides and domestic staff are still being held in detention.
Bokoru added that children and family members of former Bayelsa governor are under siege at his Maitama residence in Abuja.
The development comes amid heightened allegations against Sylva who was accused of financing a coup plot against President Bola Tinubu — a claim later dismissed by the federal government and the military.
He was subsequently declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged diversion of funds meant for the Brass petrochemical project, allegations he strongly denies.
In a statement on Sunday titled “Detention of Sylva’s aides: a call for reason, humanity and due process,” Sylva’s Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Chief Julius Bokoru, expressed concern that four aides and domestic staff arrested during an October raid on the residence are still “languishing” in detention.
Those detained include Mr. Paganengigha Anagha; Musa Mohammed, Sylva’s driver; Police Officer Ayuba Reuben; and escort driver Friday Lusa Paul.
“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,” Bokoru said. “These individuals, fathers, husbands, ordinary Nigerians, have been held on grounds that appear unclear at best, and entirely vague to their traumatised families.”
Bokoru questioned why the aides remain behind bars despite what he described as “clear and formal communication” between Sylva and the EFCC.
“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,” he noted.
He recalled that the coup allegations — which further fueled public anxiety — had been completely dismissed by authorities, but said subsequent events only “escalated tensions,” including EFCC statements that he claimed contradicted earlier engagements with Sylva.
According to Bokoru, there is widespread belief that President Tinubu is not responsible for Sylva’s ordeal, but that “selfish individuals” are driving the situation for political reasons.
He argued that Sylva, given his contributions to the petroleum sector and his role in stabilising the Niger Delta through the Amnesty Programme, deserved respect and fair treatment.
“These events carry a heavy toll on individuals, on families, and on the democratic values that demand fairness, transparency and proportionality,” he said. He added that Sylva’s pivotal roles in pushing the Petroleum Industry Bill into the Petroleum Industry Act and restoring peace in the Niger Delta should not be overshadowed by “local political rivalries.”
Bokoru maintained that President Tinubu is widely regarded as not being behind the situation, noting that Sylva recently reaffirmed strong support for the President’s second-term bid at an APC stakeholders’ meeting in Bayelsa.
“It is therefore imperative that state actors or parastatal operatives do not mistake personal or local disputes for federal directives,” he warned. “What began as a local political disagreement must not be allowed to mutate into a national crisis.”
He appealed to security agencies to release the detained aides so they can reunite with their anxious families, and called for the 24-hour siege around Sylva’s children to be lifted. Due process, he said, must be allowed to prevail as “the foundation of any civilised society.”