A dozen individuals believed to be involved in illicit oil activities have been indicted by the Nigerian Federal Government. The accused were allegedly aboard a detained vessel bound for Cameroon, heavily laden with approximately 150 metric tonnes of stolen crude oil. The ship in question, known as MT TURA II, was apprehended on July 7 in the waters of the Escravos Sea, located within the confines of Delta State. The suspects apprehended on the vessel included eleven Nigerian nationals and one Ghanaian.
The military took swift action on July 11, setting fire to the vessel as it lay in a creek near Bennett Island in the Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State…….Continue Reading
The twelve alleged oil thieves were presented before the Federal High Court in Asaba by the Federal Government. The charge sheet, identified as FHC/ASB/93C/23, listed the defendants, led by Mr Cobbina Paul and others.
Contrary to the allegations levied against them in the two counts on the charge sheet, the defendants maintained their innocence before Justice F.A. Olubanjo.
The prosecutor representing the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, O. F Okai, requested the court to confine the defendants in a correctional facility run by the Nigerian Correctional Service until the trial could officially commence.
Paul Ejiga, the defence lawyer, submitted a spontaneous plea for bail, explaining that he had received very late notice of the arraignment. “We were just informed that the trial was beginning,” he stated.
However, Justice Olubanjo declined the informal request for bail. She emphasized the need for a formal bail application, expressing her belief that a verbal request would not suffice, regardless of whether the prosecution opposed it or not.
She ordered that the defendants be kept in custody at the Nigeria Correctional Service facility in Ogwashi-Uku. She further noted that any bail applications filed might need to be directed to the vacation court in Port Harcourt as the court would soon be on a long recess starting July 24, 2023.
The case has since been adjourned and will resume on October 26 for trial.
In a separate development, the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), a group committed to anti-corruption advocacy, posited that the Federal Government could conserve over $200 billion per annum if it succeeded in plugging the revenue leakages in the oil industry.
This recommendation was part of a submission by HEDA at the conclusion of an international anti-corruption conference held in Abuja that lasted a week. The theme of the conference was “Nigeria and the Fight Against Corruption: Reviewing the Buhari Regime and Setting Agenda for the Tinubu Administration.”
The group emphasized that stringent anti-corruption measures in the oil and gas sector could assist Nigeria in rejuvenating its ailing economy. With a debt profile of N77tn, Nigeria finds itself in dire straits and anti-corruption measures, they argued, is the most viable pathway to economic recovery.
The group advocated for a firm stand against corruption, stating that the recovery of stolen funds and eradication of corruption in the oil sector could trigger a significant revenue boost for Nigeria, which would greatly benefit Nigerians grappling with economic hardships.
