The fight against oil theft and operation of illegal
refineries remain a mirage because of slow judicial process, the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) has declared.
Its Head, Assets Forfeiture Unit, Hameed Bawa, stated this at
the base of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta in Warri where the Flag Officer
Commanding (FOC) of the Central Naval Command, Rear Admiral Apochi Suleiman,
handed nine suspected oil thieves and a vessel over to the anti-corruption
body.
Bawa said the prosecution of suspected oil criminals by
security agencies has been stunted by slow judicial process.
In his words, he said “the challenge everybody knows we have
is the judiciary. Once we receive suspects and assets used for oil thieves as
we have done today, we do further investigations and start prosecution
immediately but it takes so long for a case to be concluded.”
Suleiman, who explained the circumstances that led to the
arrest of the suspects, said although they had naval clearance to lift a
certain amount of refined products, the vessel and its crew was nabbed for
violating the clearance.
“The ship got a valid clearance by navy to
lift 10,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) from Matrix, a private tank
farm near NPA Warri, but a naval patrol team allegedly caught the same ship and
nine-man crew using the permit to lift diesel from a far off illegal refinery
in Kantu, Warri South West local government area of Delta State, he explained.”
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