JUST IN: EFCC Chairman, Bawa Testifies In N1.4billion Oil Subsidy Fraud Trial

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, on Wednesday appeared before an Ikeja High Court to give evidence in a N1.4 billion fraud trial involving an oil company, Nadabo Energy.

Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Mr Saidu Ateh, the EFCC chairman analysed the electronic mail correspondences of the defendant and found out that the defendants contrary to their claim took about six million litres of fuel from the mother vessel to their chartered vessel.

The email further confirmed that the same quantity was discharged at Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

“In addition, the email also informed us that one Mr Jide Akpan was the agent of the vessel

“We invited the said Akpan and during the course of our interrogation with him, he confirmed that the first defendant through the second defendant deferred the vessel and paid for it,” Bawa said.

Bawa, before his confirmation as EFCC Chairman, appeared before the court last year as prosecution witness.

The EFCC had accused Abubakar Ali Peters and his company, Nadabo Energy of allegedly using forged documents to obtain N1,464,961,978.24 from the Nigerian government as oil subsidy after allegedly inflating the quantity of premium motor spirit, PMS, purportedly supplied to 14,000M.

The defendants had pleaded not guilty to the prosecution’s fraud charge.

Bawa in his previous testimony had told the court that based on investigation carried out on the defendant’s dealings with Staco Insurance Company, “the certificate of marine insurance used by the defendant for the transaction in question was forged.”

The matter was adjourned by Justice Balogun to February 10, 16, 23 and March 9, 2021 for continuation of trial.