Aide Decries Continued Detention Of Sylva’s Domestic Workers, Security Escorts

Chief Julius Bokoru, the special assistant on Media and Public Affairs to former Bayelsa State governor, Chief Timipre Sylva, has expressed concerns over the continued detention of four aides and domestic workers of his boss.

In a statement titled, “Detention of Sylva’s Aides: A Call for Reason, Humanity and Due Process,” which he issued yesterday, Bokoru said the first to be arrested, Mr Paganengigha Anagha, had remained in custody.
He listed the others as Musa Mohammed, Sylva’s driver; police officer Ayuba Reuben and Mr Friday Lusa Paul, an escort driver.

He said the arrests had brought pain to the families of the affected workers.

He said, “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.

“These individuals, fathers, husbands, ordinary Nigerians, have been held on grounds that appear unclear at best, and entirely vague to their traumatised families,” he said.

Bokoru questioned why the men were still being held, even after Sylva had formally written to the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), confirming his willingness to honour their invitation once his health allowed.

“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 said.

He recalled attempts to link Sylva to a coup plot, allegations that the federal government and the military later dismissed.

“Before these developments, the public was unsettled by unfounded attempts to link him to a purported coup plot… Instead, events escalated further, culminating in public statements from the EFCC that appeared inconsistent with earlier engagements,” he said.

The media aide also stated that Sylva’s home in Maitama had been under surveillance, leaving his children and household members distressed.

He insisted that many Nigerians believe the Presidency is not behind Sylva’s current ordeal, suggesting that political interests may be at play.

He added that Sylva, given his contributions to the oil sector and the Amnesty Programme, deserves dignity, adding that he had recently declared support for President Tinubu’s second-term ambition.

“These events carry a heavy toll on individuals, on families and on the democratic values that demand fairness, transparency and proportionality.

“Such a figure cannot be reduced to a pawn in local political rivalries. Across the political spectrum, there remains a genuine and widespread belief that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is not the architect of this prolonged ordeal,” Bokoru said.