The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared a former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, wanted over an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion of US$14,859,257.

In a public notice on Monday, the commission’s spokesman, Dele Oyewale, said the funds were provided by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board for Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical.

The notice read, “The public is hereby notified that Timipre Sylva, a former Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, and former Governor of Bayelsa State, whose photograph appears above is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257-part of funds injected by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) into Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited for the construction of a refinery.

“Sylva, 61, is from Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. This notice is pursuant to a November 6, 2025, warrant of the Federal High Court, Lagos.

“Anybody with useful information as to his whereabouts should please contact the commission in its Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Ilorin, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt, or Abuja offices or through 08093322644; its e-mail address: info@efcc.gov.ng or the nearest police station and other security agencies.”

Oyewale said the commission obtained a warrant on November 6 from a Federal High Court in Lagos to arrest Sylva.

“The commission, on November 6, 2025, secured a warrant for the arrest of the former Minister at a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.

“The order, granted by Justice D.I. Dipeolu, stated: ‘An order is made issuing a warrant to the applicant or any officer of the commission, police, or any law enforcement officer for the arrest of the respondent for the purpose of bringing him before the commission to answer to the criminal offence he is alleged to have committed,’” Oyewale said in a statement supporting the notice.

After Zohran Mamdani handily won the New York City mayoral election, becoming the city’s first Muslim and first South Asian mayor-elect, Republican detractors in Washington, DC, said they would try to stop him from taking office.

President Donald Trump, who threatened to withhold federal funds to New York City if Mamdani won, lent credence to misleading questions about Mamdani’s citizenship and falsely accused the Ugandan-born 34-year-old of being a communist.

Some Republican lawmakers requested investigations into Mamdani’s naturalisation process and have called for stripping him of his United States citizenship and deporting him, accusing him without evidence of embracing communist and “terrorist” activities.

“If Mamdani lied on his naturalisation documents, he doesn’t get to be a citizen, and he certainly doesn’t get to run for mayor of New York City. A great American city is on the precipice of being run by a communist who has publicly embraced a terroristic ideology,” Representative Andy Ogles from the Republican party said in an October 29 news release, after asking US Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Mamdani.

“The American naturalisation system REQUIRES any alignments with communism or terrorist activities to be disclosed. I’m doubtful he disclosed them. If this is confirmed, put him on the first flight back to Uganda.”

Randy Fine, the Republican representative from Florida, misrepresented Mamdani’s time in the US when he said on October 27 on Newsmax: “The barbarians are no longer at the gate, they’re inside. … And Mamdani, having just moved here eight years ago, is a great example of that, becoming a citizen. Look, it is clear with much of what I have read that he did not meet the definition to gain citizenship.”

PolitiFact found no credible evidence that Mamdani lied on his citizenship application.

Born in Uganda, Mamdani moved to the US in 1998, when he was seven years old, and became a US citizen in 2018. For adults to become US citizens, they generally must have lived continuously in the country as a lawful permanent resident for five years, or three years if married to a US citizen.

Denaturalisation, the process of revoking a person’s citizenship, can be done only by judicial order. It’s been used sparingly, such as for removing Nazis who fled to the US after World War II or people convicted of or associated with “terrorism”.

Immigration law experts said they have seen no evidence to support Ogles and Fine’s assertions about Mamdani’s application.

“Denaturalisation is an extreme, rare remedy that requires the government to prove either illegal procurement or a willful, material lie – at a minimum, clear, unequivocal and convincing evidence that the fact would have changed the outcome at the time of naturalisation,” said immigration lawyer Jeremy McKinney. “I’ve seen no credible proof he was ineligible when he took the oath or that any omission was material.”

Ogles and Fine did not respond to PolitiFact’s requests for comment by publication.

The Nigeria Premier Football League has handed Katsina United a total fine of N9m and ordered them to play all remaining home games behind closed doors in Jos following incidents of violence during their 1–1 draw with Barau FC on Saturday, according to The Punch reports.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the league body charged Katsina United with multiple breaches of its Framework and Rules, including failure to provide adequate security and failure to control their supporters.

The league said unauthorised persons gained access to restricted areas, while fans also threw harmful objects onto the pitch, resulting in injuries to Barau FC players.

“The club failed to ensure proper conduct of their supporters leading to the harassment of Barau FC players and match officials,” the NPFL said.

“Furthermore, Katsina United supporters displayed conduct capable of bringing the game into disrepute.”

The NPFL imposed a N3m fine for throwing objects, misconduct of supporters and bringing the league into disrepute, while another N2m penalty was issued for failure to provide effective security.

Katsina United were also ordered to pay N4m as compensation for medical treatment of injured players, damages to the away team’s buses, and for holding the visitors and match officials hostage after the match.

The total sanction amounts to N9m.

The league body directed that all subsequent home matches be played at the New Jos Stadium and without spectators. Katsina United have 48 hours from the date of the notice to appeal the decision.

The disciplinary action follows reports that Barau FC player Nana Abraham sustained a neck wound after being attacked by fans during the game at the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium.

The incident reportedly occurred shortly after Barau equalised in the 69th minute, leading to chaos inside the ground. Photographs from Barau FC showed Abraham bleeding as officials intervened to restore order before the game eventually resumed and ended 1–1.

Before the NPFL verdict, Katsina United had denied reports of violence and any player injury, describing such claims as “entirely baseless”.

In a separate statement, the club’s media director, Nasir Gide, said the reports were “a deliberate attempt to tarnish the club’s image,” insisting that security operatives maintained order throughout the game.

“At no point during the match did any supporter gain access to the main pitch,” Gide said.

“Katsina United football club is committed to professionalism, discipline, and fair play both on and off the pitch.”

He added that the club had demanded a retraction from platforms that published the report and threatened legal action if corrections were not made.

Saturday’s unrest in Katsina comes just weeks after the NPFL sanctioned Kano Pillars for a similar violent incident in October, when fans invaded the pitch following a late equaliser against Shooting Stars in Kano.

The league fined the club N9.5m, imposed a points deduction, and closed the Sani Abacha Stadium indefinitely.