Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), northwest operation zone has recovered over three hundred billion naira (N300bn) from nine major oil marketers in the country between July last year to date.
The oil marketers involved included Conoil plc, Mobil plc, Total plc and MRS oil plc. Others are OVH energy plc, Oando plc, Forte oil plc, Nipco oil plc as well as NNPC retail
The zonal chairman of the agency, Dr. Adamu Hamisu Dan’Musa told journalists in Kano that the recoveries were made sequel to the complaints of shady practices involving the leadership of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the oil marketers.
He said the complaint was initially lodged by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) alleging that about N40bn had been diverted by the oil marketers in connivance with the leadership of the NNPC.
‘’Some good Nigerians who really want to see the progress of Nigeria volunteered and wrote a petition against the management of the NNPC and the major oil marketers saying the oil marketers are being favoured by the NNPC; they complained that the marketers were given supply of petroleum by NNPC and instead of them to remit the money they diverted it’’ Dan’Musa said.
He stated that the initial petition was about N40bn, but when the EFCC special task force swung into an investigation it discovered that the money was over N91bn.
He said the agency has recovered N86bn out of N91bn debt oil marketers owe the federal government since 2010 for which hope to reclaim it had already been lost.
Besides the N86bn old debt recovery, Dan’Musa revealed that the agency has also recovered another N242bn debt from current transactions involving the oil marketers and the NNPC.