By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu, Yenagoa
Chief Julius Bokoru, Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs to former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has criticised the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for sealing his principal’s Maitama residence in Abuja.
In a statement on Tuesday, Bokoru described the EFCC’s action as a violation of due process and an affront to democratic norms.
He said officers of the anti-graft agency marked the property with the inscription “EFCC Keep Off” without presenting any warrant, subpoena or formal notification.
According to him, the action amounted to an aggressive intrusion that undermined basic procedural decency.
“What unfolded today at the Maitama residence of His Excellency, Chief Timipre Sylva, was nothing short of an affront to decency,” he said.
Bokoru added that the residence had been under pressure for weeks, with Sylva’s children, relatives and domestic staff allegedly restricted from leaving freely.
He questioned the rationale behind the operation, saying it had subjected innocent occupants to fear and uncertainty.
The aide described the sealing as arbitrary and vindictive, insisting that it did not reflect how an institution founded to uphold justice should operate.
He dissociated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from the development, saying the President had consistently demonstrated respect for due process and institutional integrity.
Bokoru alleged that the action bore the imprint of local political rivalry rather than federal directives.
He also noted that several of Sylva’s aides, including Paganengigha Anagha, Friday Lusa Paul, Musa Mohammed and Police Officer Reuben Ayuba, remained in detention over what he called vague and insubstantial allegations.
The statement expressed hope that justice would prevail, saying Nigeria had overcome similar periods of uncertainty in the past.