EFCC, Navy Reaffirm Commitment to Fighting Oil Theft

LAGOS Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft, Apapa, have reaffirmed their commitment to the fight against oil theft in the country.

EFCC, Lagos Zonal Commander, Ahmed Ghali, who paid a courtesy visit to Commander of the NNS Beecroft, Apapa, Commodore Bashir Mohammed, said there is a strong relationship between the two agencies which has yielded positive results in terms of fighting crude oil theft and other illegal activities in the waterways that sabotage the country’s economy.

Ghali stated that out of 83 vessels arrested by the Apapa Naval command, 51 were handed over to the EFCC, for investigation and onward prosecution, adding that such gesture shows the extent of their “working relationship.”

Continuing, he said, “I am glad to state on record that 21 of the cases have been concluded, 19 are undergoing prosecution and about three or four are waiting for legal advice.”

He noted that there is no way the commission could fight crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and other economic sabotage cases without the assistance of the Naval command, adding, they do not have the capacity to accomplish the task on their own.

Ghali, who also highlighted the challenges of dealing with the issue of oil theft, promised that the agency would continue to do whatever is within their powers to ease the stress of the officers and “ensure that all the forfeited vessels are disposed off soon, according to the Presidency’s directives.”

Responding, Mohammed said, “This is a very important visit. EFCC is one of the most strategic partners we have in Lagos; and when I came in newly, I made it a point of duty to visit the EFCC office to show the importance attached to our relationship.

“The officers have been very important close partners in terms of all our operations and we will continue to do our best in our collaborations.”

While calling for improvement on the existing relationship between both agencies, he said, “We are happy with the court cases; the outcome is very good and we are very impressed with the legal team of the EFCC.”