The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
EFCC, has cautioned illegal oil bunkerers and petroleum marketers in Akwa
Ibom state against sharp practices and procuring adulterated products and
dispensing same to vehicle owners.
The Uyo Zonal Director of the EFCC, Assistant
Commander of the EFCC, ACE 1 Oshodi Johnson gave the warning on Tuesday March
18, 2025, when representatives of the Independent Petroleum Marketers
Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Akwa Ibom state’s Coordinating
Committee, paid him a courtesy visit.
According to him, the warning became imperative
to avoid the unpleasant consequences of committing economic crimes.
Oshodi explained that the mandate of the EFCC
authorizes it to tackle all cases of illegal oil bunkering and other acts
of economic and financial crimes, warning that the Commission would stop at
nothing to deal with any of such cases. “f you're not aiding, abetting or
conspiring with illegal bunkerers, you don't have a problem with us. We just
want to discourage and discontinue the activities of illegal bunkerers because
they sell to you, they bring their illegal products to you, but it's high
time we brought these things down", he said.
IPMAN’s Chairman, Comrade Francis Udeyen
said his team paid Oshodi a visit to explore ways of sanitizing the
petroleum downstream sector of the economy and to create sustainable
synergy between the Commission and IPMAN. He further sought clarification on
the mandate of the EFCC, especially its legal authority to test samples of
petroleum products. “We need to be informed on how the EFCC is
involved in our line of business", he said.
Oshodi explained the rationale of testing petroleum
products by officers of the EFCC, pointing out that it is meant to check
illegal oil bunkering and safeguard the integrity of supply of petroleum
products. “ Concerning our testing processes, I can assure you that the
EFCC has the best laboratory that we just launched in Port Harcourt, it is a
complete forensic laboratory of international standard”, he said .
He also assured IPMAN of sustained collaboration in
order to curb the adulteration of petroleum products in the state and the
country at large.
Comments:
Leave a Reply