The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has retrieved more than N5 billion and $10 million from government officials and contractors implicated in the NNPC fraud involving the turnaround maintenance of the country’s refineries in Warri, Kaduna, and Port Harcourt.
The anti-graft agency was reportedly attempting to recoup an additional N10 billion and $13 million that were purportedly embezzled through maintenance contractors, according to information Sunday PUNCH accurately obtained.
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Information gathered revealed that Ola Olukoyede, the chairman of the EFCC, assumed personal responsibility for the probe because he was unhappy with the refineries’ failure to operate despite massive public investments in them.
According to reports, despite multiple attempts at restoration, Nigeria’s four refineries have remained virtually idle for decades.
The facilities in Warri, Kaduna, and Port Harcourt have continued to perform poorly despite billions of dollars being allocated for turnaround maintenance by successive administrations, making the nation mostly dependent on imported petroleum products.
According to reports, the EFCC is looking into the amounts of $656,963,938 authorised for the Warri refinery, $740,669,600 released for the Kaduna refinery, and $1,559,239,084.36 allotted to the Port Harcourt refinery.
The anti-graft agency’s top sources disclosed that suspicious payments, contract inflation, and excessive invoicing were among the fraudulent practices that were mostly to blame for the refineries’ failure to operate in spite of significant public spending over the years.
They revealed that former management teams of the three refineries were repeatedly interrogated in connection with the discoveries.
One of the sources said the commission had concluded investigations into some officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited allegedly involved in the rehabilitation contracts and was preparing charges against them.
The source said, “Our investigation into the turnaround maintenance of the nation’s refineries in Warri, Kaduna and Port Harcourt, have yielded major discoveries of large- scale fraud.
“Investigators discovered fraudulent dealings through over-invoicing, contract inflation and questionable payments were largely responsible for the malfunctioning of the refineries.
“Specifically, investigations flagged former NNPCL management teams of the three refineries who were arrested several times and grilled to uncover fraudulent dealings that have not made the refineries deliver optimal benefits to Nigerians.
“A total sum of $10m and N5bn have so far been recovered from suspects indicted in the fraud. The recoveries were made from some contractors and government officials involved in over-invoicing and inflated payments.”
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The source further revealed that some serving and retired members of the management of the NNPCL and the refineries might be charged soon.
“Investigations are already concluded on some officials of the NNPCL involved in the rehabilitation contracts and the commission is ready to file charges against them.
“Both former management and present management of the NNPCL and refineries may be charged,” the source said.
A different source also noted that the commission was on track to recover additional sums.
“While we have recovered some money, another $13m and N10bn discovered to be siphoned through contractors engaged in the maintenance are due to be recovered,” the source stated.
According to the source who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the delicate nature of the issue revealed that the commission was also looking into new claims of contract inflation totalling roughly $40 million, which were purportedly made by NNPCL executives and some contractors hired to buy equipment for the rehabilitation projects.
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“Investigation is still ongoing on allegations of contract inflation in the region of $40million involving some officials of NNPCL and some contractors engaged to procure equipment for rehabilitation works, “ the source said.
The EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, could not be reached for comments as of press time as calls and text messages were left unanswered.
