The Lagos Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS Beecroft, Apapa, Lagos have reaffirmed their commitment to the fight against oil theft.
Speaking on Wednesday, October 20, 2021 during a courtesy to the Commander of the NNS Beecroft, Apapa, Lagos, Commodore Bashir Mohammed, the EFCC Lagos Zonal Commander, Ahmed Ghali, said: “We are here on behalf of the Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, Management and entire staff of the EFCC to thank the Commander of the NNS Beecroft for the support we have received from your office over the years.
“Worthy of note is that out of 83 vessels arrested, 51 were handed over to the EFCC; and this goes to show the extent of our working relationship.
“I am glad to state on record that 21 of the cases have been concluded, 19 are undergoing prosecution and about three or or four are waiting for legal advice.”
Ghali, who also highlighted the challenges of dealing with the issue of oil theft, added that “we will continue to do whatever is within our 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.
“Without you, there is no way we can fight crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and other economic sabotage cases. We do not have the capacity to accomplish this task on our own.”
In his response, 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.”