EFCC gets court order to evacuate stolen crude oil

Justice E. S. Chukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja on Wednesday granted the request of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to evacuate for safekeeping the petroleum products recovered from the 14 suspected oil thieves currently facing prosecution for charges bordering on conspiracy and oil bunkering.

At the resumed hearing, the EFCC, through an ex-parte motion brought pursuant to Section 26 of the EFCC Act, 2004, prayed the court for an order granting leave to the applicant to evacuate the petroleum products conveyed by the respondents in trucks and vehicles as specified in the schedule attached to the affidavit, for safekeeping.

The recovered petroleum products are currently at the premises of Shittu Alao Barracks of the 177 Battalion, Guards Brigade, Nigerian Army, Keffi, Nasarawa State.

EFCC’s counsel, Elizabeth Ayodele, specifically prayed the court for an order directing the Managing Director of the PPMC, the Department of Petroleum Resources or the relevant arm of the NNPC to evacuate and keep in safe custody the crude oil recovered from the trucks and any further order or orders as the court may make in the circumstance.

Justice Chukwu granted the motion as prayed and adjourned the case to May 27, 2013 for continuation of hearing.

It will be recalled that the suspects – Joseph Amaechi, Israel Friday, Ubadia Francis, Abayomi Adebisi, Abdullahi Idris, Samuel Job, Onah Peter Ode, Sabo Tasha Hassan, Abdullahi Moh’d, Abubakar Abdulkadir, Ehiogu Paul, Ibrahim Saidu, Garba Mohammed and Bartholomew Onyema – were arrested at Toto Military checkpoint, Nasarawa State with 14 trailer load of suspected crude oil after a failed attempt to bribe their way through the checkpoint.