Former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and ex-Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, has threatened legal action against Sahara Reporters over a report linking him to an alleged thuggery attack in Bayelsa.
In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Public Affairs, Chief Julius Bokoru, Sylva described the report as “false and malicious,” giving the online platform seven working days to retract it or face litigation.
According to the statement, Sahara Reporters had circulated a video suggesting that Sylva orchestrated an attack on a meeting of traditional chiefs in the state. But the former governor dismissed the allegation, stressing that he was in Abuja at the time of the incident and had no ties to the culprits.
“Even those that are trying to connect this act to the former Governor know that it is false. Nothing could be further from the truth. As a chief, former Governor of Bayelsa State, and former Minister of State for Petroleum, Sylva has consistently eschewed violence in all its forms,” Bokoru said.
Also see: 23 Social Media Platforms, Including Facebook, X, WhatsApp Faces Nepal Bans
The statement further highlighted Sylva’s role in fostering peace during his tenure, citing his involvement in the Presidential Amnesty Programme. “As Governor, Sylva played a pivotal role in the Presidential Amnesty Programme, which successfully brought ex-militants out of the creeks and ushered in peace in the Niger Delta, thereby maintaining respectable oil revenue,” it noted.
Describing the publication as reckless, the statement accused Sahara Reporters of abandoning journalistic ethics. “Sahara Reporters has devolved into a rogue outfit scavenging for scraps and clients with ulterior motives,” it read.
Sylva insisted that unless the platform issues a retraction and public apology, “the next step will be to defend our position in court.”
