The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is presently prosecuting 441 individuals for allegedly vandalising oil pipelines and stealing crude oil.

In addition, the commission is prosecuting suspected oil subsidy thieves with over 40 persons and organisations currently in court answering charges.

Its spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren said in Abuja on Wednesday at the Forum of Spokespersons of Security and Response Agencies, FOSSRA/I-Nigerian Initiative media parley that 71 oil thieves had already been jailed by various courts including 45 Nigerians, 10 Ghanaians, 13 Philippines, 10 Indians, two Togolese, one Cameroonian and one Myanmar.

Uwujaren, at the regular parley arranged to highlight activities of the various security and response agencies, announced that one Seun Ogunbambo, managing director of Fargo Energy Limited, who was docked for stealing N4.5 billion in bogus subsidy claims had absconded after he was granted bail by the court but had been declared wanted by the commission.

He also allayed fears that the prosecution of other politically exposed persons may have been halted and confirmed that the prosecution of the son of former national chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mahmud Tukur and Abdulahi Alao, a son of late Alhaji Arisekola Alao among others was still ongoing.

“As we speak, the commission has recovered over N5 billion from persons implicated in the subsidy scam, even as it intensifies effort to bring more suspects to book”, the spokesman hinted.

He, however, insisted that the commission was not in a position to give an advisory on whether individual undergoing prosecution for financial crimes are allowed to stand for elections.

According to him, it was left to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make that decision.

Uwujaren further disclosed that the commission was also active in prosecuting bank fraud cased and in this wise, recently nabbed Rabiu Alhassan Dawaki, a banker with an unnamed first generation bank in Kano for allegedly stealing N661 million.

“He used his position as cash officer with responsibility for evacuating cash from branches that had excess and supply to needy branches in the Kano Zone to perpetuate the fraud.”

Uwujaren noted that in other to position for more efficiency, EFCC has embarked on reforms aimed at re-professionalising the commission as promised by the current Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde when he was appointed.

Continuing he said, “new and old staff of the commission are regularly subjected to polygraph test in a determined effort to ensure that they do not deviate from the core values of the commission, which are courage, professionalism and integrity.

“Fortunately, public and institutional confidence are being restored in the EFCC with relationship with international law enforcement organisations and development partners, which witnessed a meltdown a few years ago experiencing a rebound.

“In the last one year, the commission hosted investigators and prosecutors from Zambia, United States, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, World Bank and African Development Bank”, he disclosed.

Source:
http://dailypost.ng/2014/11/05/efcc-prosecuting-441-oil-theft-cases-declares-seun-ogunbambo-wanted-n4-5b-subsidy-fraud/

Mr. Spokesperson, we seek to know the names of those jailed.

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I just pray that justice will take its cause and all those who have enriched themselves at the expense of the poor and suffering masses face the full wrath of the law.

Where are the names? I expected a long list of names.

I believe that the few people mentioned above are not a true reflection of the real subsidy thieves. Just hoping that the faces behind the mask are further exposed.


*fingers crossed.