EFCC wants special court to try oil thieves

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has called for the creation of a special court dedicated to prosecuting suspected crude oil thieves and addressing other crimes in the oil and gas industry.

EFCC officials made this request during an investigative hearing held by the House of Representatives Special Committee on ‘Crude Oil Theft and other Losses’ on Wednesday.

Speaking at the hearing,  the Chief of Staff to the EFCC Chairman, Michael Uzokwe, highlighted the challenges the commission faces due to delays in prosecuting suspects in regular courts.

He emphasised the need for a special court to ensure swift prosecution, noting that while the EFCC had filed hundreds of cases, only a small fraction had resulted in convictions, with many cases still pending or newly filed.

Uzokwe further explained that these delays were particularly problematic in the Niger Delta region, where oil-related crimes are rampant and arrests occur frequently.

Supporting these claims, the EFCC Director of Investigation, Abdulkareem Chukkol, noted that the EFCC’s commands in the Niger Delta handle hundreds of oil-related complaints daily.

He revealed that “in 2019 alone, the EFCC brought over 400 cases to court, and over 200 in 2022.”

Chukkol also mentioned that some cases are referred to other agencies.

In response to a question from a lawmaker, Gambo Leko, an EFCC official clarified that the commission rarely withdraws cases and typically appeals if there is an unfavorable judgment or a ‘stay of execution’ on a case.

When asked about the utilisation of recovered funds, the official did not have immediate details but assured the committee that the EFCC would provide the necessary information.

 He did, however, note that  President Bola Tinubu had recently “indicated that approximately N100bn had been released from EFCC recoveries.”

Sada Jibiya, who stood in briefly for Committee Chairman, Ado Doguwa, stressed that the recovery of funds must be transparent to the public, as these figures are reflected in the national budget.

Earlier in the hearing,Doguwa reminded the attending agencies that the primary goal of the investigation was to unite all stakeholders in the fight against oil theft in the country.

“The ongoing challenges in the oil sector cannot continue and that stakeholders and the government must collaborate to address the issues.

“Addressing leakages in the sector would boost production and increase revenue, vital for running the government,” the panel chairman said.

Doguwa also noted that “while the government has the political will to tackle these problems, years of neglect in the oil and gas sector have made progress difficult.”

The investigation aims to identify effective strategies to reduce oil theft and other criminal activities in the industry by gathering insights from key stakeholders.