Ahamefula Ogbu
10 August 2008
Port Harcourt — The Joint Military Task Force in Rivers State, yesterday uncovered an illegal refinery operated by a cabal at Kira, in Tai Local Government Area of the state where they allegedly manufacture a range of petroleum products.
Twelve of the crude oil thieves and illegal oil refiners were immediately arrested while 10 motor bikes with which they transport the product to buyers were seized and their implements destroyed.
The group allegedly produces Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Diesel and condensate which they sell to various marketers across the nation.
The hoodlums were said to have succeeded in tapping a crude supply line belonging to one of the oil majors suspected to be Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) from where they siphoned crude oil to refine at the facility.
JTF, it was learnt, got intelligence report about the booming business and swooped on them in a lightning operation where a single shot was not fired. They subsequently dismantled the illegal operation.
Spokesman of the Joint Task Force, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, who confirmed the story, said soldiers recovered drums, cloth, plastic rubbers, torch-lights, while other instruments of their illegal trade were destroyed.
"JTF discovered an illegal refinery at Kira, Tai Local Government Area of the state. Twelve people were arrested at the scene. At the refinery, they locally refined crude oil to AGO, PMS and condensate.
"They tapped from existing crude pipelines belo-nging to one of the oil majors. The size is big, massive and seems to be expanding with new entrants into the business. No exchange of fire, no casualty recorded on both sides.
"Items such as drums, cloth, plastic rubbers, and torch-lights were destroyed over 10 motorcycles recovered", he said.
On Friday, JTF also destroyed two boats belonging to militants which attacked a convoy of supply boats being escorted from Onne to Bonny. Four bodies of the militants with four AK47 rifles were recovered from he hoodlums.
nors on whose files the agency has completed investigations.
Also expected to be picked up by the anti-graft commission, any time this week, is the suspended Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Ambassador Sam Edem. Edem, THISDAY gathered has, apart from the on-going financial investigation into his alleged payment of huge sums of money to sorcerers to harm some politicians, will face the EFCC over what the source called "another case" which was identified during the agency's strategic meeting yesterday.
The case of the ex-governors is said to have become imperative following increasing pressure from certain quarters on the need to genuinely revisit the cases and determine them appropriately.
Although, the EFCC spokesperson, Mr. Femi Babafemi kept mute on the development, THISDAY's source further noted that documentary on each of the cases is already with the commission, saying "it's a question of just going back to them and this time, treat them meticulously.
"This is a new EFCC and we do not want to inherit any stigma from any quarters. There would be no sacred cows. The issue of selective justice does not apply to us because if you have cases to answer, the EFCC will not look the other way. But if you don't, we certainly have no business with you", the source said.
Besides, Babafemi had said recently that the commission was reopening high profile cases that would cut across different interest areas.
THISDAY gathered that the need to genuinely reopen the cases against former governors had become imperative following the arrest of Chief Olabode George, former Board Chairman, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) as Nigerians from all walks of life began to call on the EFCC to expand its dragnet.
On the case of Edem, although he was arrested last week by the police for paying several millions of naira to a native doctor for alleged conspiracy to murder the NDDC Managing Director, Mr. Timi Alaibe and to also spiritually influence Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Godswill Akpabio, THISDAY learnt that he has another major case with the EFCC.
To that extent, the commission is said to have concluded plans to effect his arrest this week and subsequently prosecute him. The EFCC is said to have concluded the case of the governors and Edem at a strategic meeting held at the weekend.
Except for a few, virtually all the former governors have cases of abuse of office, money laundering, corrupt practices and stealing of government funds with the EFCC. Although, they have since the days of the former EFCC boss, Ribadu taken turns at the EFCC office, majority of them have either had their cases suspended or dispensed with on grounds of plea bargain.
Although, the incumbent chairman of EFCC, Mrs. Farida Waziri has said repeatedly that she does not believe in plea bargain, the commission under her is also said to believe some of the cases were not properly handled, hence the resolve to reopen and logically pursue them.
The EFCC had in September 2006, indicted no fewer than 15 of the then governors in the report it submitted to the Senate. Apart from Mr. Donald Duke of Cross River State, who was given a clean bill of health, others were indicted on various charges of corruption.
Ribadu, who presented the list to the senate, said other than the indicted 15; investigation on six was still going on at the time he appeared before the senate.
He listed those who had concluded cases of corruption as: Orji Kalu (Abia), Boni Haruna (Adamawa), Chris Ngige (former governor, Anambra), Ayo Fayose (Ekiti), Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu), Saminu Turaki (Jigawa), Muha-mmed Lawal (ex-governor, Kwara), Abubakar Audu (ex-governor, Kogi), Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna), Adamu Abdullahi, Attahiru Bafarawa and Jolly Nyame.
The former EFCC boss also told the senate that all the investigated former governors were alleged to have perpetrated the offences through the siphoning of their local government accounts. On the former governor of Lagos State, he said: "Tinubu's case has an international dimension."
Muazu, he said, was investigated for contract inflation while Bafarawa was investigated for financial misappropriation.
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