By Joy Baba
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 still busy with the prosecution of suspected oil subsidy thieves with over 40 persons and organisations currently in court answering charges.
Spokesman for the commission, 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 have already been jailed by various courts including 45 Nigerians, 10 Ghanaians, 13 Philippines, 10 Indians, two Togolese, one Cameroonian and one Myanmar.
Uwujaren said at the regular parley arranged to highlight activities of the various security and response agencies, one Seun Ogunbambo, managing director of Fargo Energy Limited who was docked for stealing N4.5 billion in bogus subsidy claims has absconded after he was granted bail by the court but has 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 son of former national chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mahmud Tukur and Abdulahi Alao, a son of late Alhaji Arisekola Alao among others were 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”, he said.
He however, insisted that the commission was not in a position to give an advisory on whether individuals undergoing prosecution for financial crimes are allowed to stand for elections.
According to him, it is left to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make that decision.
He narrated that in order to position for more efficiency, EFCC has embarked on reforms aimed at re-professionalizing the commission as promised by the current Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde when he was appointed.
He said that presently, “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.
The spokesperson warned members of the public to beware of impersonators who have been going about defrauding officials of both private and public organisations.
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