Abuja – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said on Monday that it recovered 11 vessels and 16 trucks between January 2013 and June from suspected oil thieves.

The EFCC Spokesman, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, stated this in Abuja at a monthly media briefing.

He said that the commission investigated 21 oil theft cases, and charged 81 suspects to court within the period.

He said that the commission secured the conviction of two Indians, Salilesh Singh and Chadrashe Sharma, after successfully prosecuting them over oil theft.

According to him, the suspects were among the 12 suspected oil thieves arrested by the JTF in Brass, Bayelsa, in 2012 with 157,822 litres of suspected stolen crude oil.

He said that the commission also declared two suspects in the oil subsidy scam, Seun Ogunbambo, Managing Director, Fargo Energy Limited, and one Amzat Mahmood, an international petroleum trader, wanted.

“Ogunbambo, who was accused of stealing N979.6 million and N4.5 billion in bogus subsidy claim, had absconded from trial.

“Mahmood, an international oil trader, is also wanted because of the involvement of his company, Nimex Petroleum Limited, in the case for which three suspects are standing trial,” he said.

Uwujaren said the company was accused of receiving N1.3 billion as subsidy for products it never supplied.

He, therefore, urged anyone with information on the whereabouts of the accused persons to report to the EFCC headquarters or its zonal offices across the country.

He said that the commission had also recorded a landmark achievement in the effort to stamp out Internet fraud in the country.

He described the arraignment and conviction of one Daniel Okpara who defrauded people through a Facebook account he opened in the name of the EFCC Chairman, Mr Ibrahim Lamorde, as a great achievement.

“He lured the victims by promising them jobs in the commission, and as I speak to you, he is in the prison serving a three-year jail term,” he said.

Uwujaren pledged the commitment of the commission to continue its collaboration with local and foreign partners in combating financial crimes.

– NAN