ixBy Our Reporter
This is not the best of times for Hajia Zainab Ahmed, minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Mele Kolo Kyari, the Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, now baptized Nigerian Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, by the National Assembly that had been signed into Law by President Muhammadu Buhari in August, 2021.
Sylva Okolieaboh, the Accountant General of the Federation was said to have also been invited by the House adhoc Committee. Many had expected the House adhoc Committee to invite Eng. Makanti Baru, who was the Group Managing Director of NNPC, and Emmanuel Ibe Kachukwu, the then minister of state, Petroleum Resources as at the time fraud was committed.
The House of Representatives, under the close watch of Femi Gbajabiamila, adhoc Committee on Oil theft in the country between 2014 and now, were said to have invited the top officials of the Katsina state born Nigerian President’s Administration over its investigation into the alleged loss of over $2.4 billion in revenue from the illegal sale of 48 million barrels of Crude oil in 2015.
The deal was said to have been carried out on October, 2015 by the undisclosed top government officials, following a revelations by a Mexican businessman and two of his Nigerian Counterparts whose identity remained a closely guided secret that 48 million barrels Nigerian Crude oil was been hidden in an Asian country of China port.
The stolen Crude was said to have been taken to the Chinese seaports and terminals without the knowledge of the President and sold illegally by the top government officials and their NNPC, collaborators with the proceeds diverted into private pockets and not remitted into government coffers.
The online Magazine gathered that the whistle blower had opened up on the Crude oil theft in 2022 but the House may have taken time to take action to ascertain the identity and personality of the individuals involved because of the frosty relationship between the Leadership of the 8th National Assembly and the Buhari led Executive am of the government.
The government on its part was said to have set up a Presidential Committee to ascertain the quantity of the country’s crude stored in China but later sold without the consent of the Authorities but that was how far it could go.
The Guardian had reported on February 3, 2023, that prior to the House Investigation , the whistle blower, were intimidated by one Michael Obeazi , a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police DIG, incharge of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID, who was said to have forced them to sign an undertaken not to reveal the details of the deal. The stolen Crude was said to have been moved to China where it was said to have been stored in various seaports and terminals including Sinochem tanks in ZHOUSHAN Bonded area and Vishal star tanks.
It was gathered that it was from the sea ports and terminals where the Nigerian Crude oil was stored that the Potential buyer were contacted by the Nigerian Government officials including a Company that was said to have eventually blew the whistle on the monumental fraud.
Unconfirmed report said SAMANO SA DE CV, had brought the Nigerian government’s attention to the criminal activity involving the NNPCL, and other top officials of the Buhari’s Administration.
T As a prelude to the Investigation, the House has questioned why the whistle blower should be invited by the INTERPOL at the instance of Abubakar Malami, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, and minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, SGF,, after its Commencement of the Investigation of the Sale of the 48 million barrels of Nigerian’s Crude, Bonny Light, in China in 2015, valued at about $2.4 bn.
The House adhoc Committee, which felt dissatisfied that the Bureau of INTERPOL in Nigeria had acted on the quest of the AGF, to invite the whistle blowers for questioning was said to have accused him of interfering with their Investigation. The adhoc Committee Leadership were said to have urged the Federal ministry of Justice not to be making requests to the INTERPOL to invite the whistle blower but should go through the Usman Akali Baba led Nigerian Police Force, NPF.
This is because the INTERPOL by Law is only expected to respond to requests by the Local Law Enforcement agencies, which includes the NPF and the Department of State Security, DSS and not the AGF.
The House adhoc Committee on the Investigation of the $2.4 bn, has every reason for insisting that the AGF, should allow the IGP, of police and Yusuf Magaji Bichi, the Director General of the DSS, to make such requests to the Bureau of INTERPOL in Nigeria to invite the whistle blower for questioning for fear that his life is in danger over his alleged five percent demand as Compensation for leaking the information of the Crude oil stolen from Nigeria. Whether the AGF, will take the House adhoc Committee , probing the theft of the $2.4 bn, Crude Oil stole from Nigeria, advice remain to be seen.
