Some of the oil marketers in court
By Ike Abonyi
After a lull, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will today resume the arraignment of oil marketing and trading (OM&T) companies and their directors accused of defrauding the Federal Government through the abuse of the fuel subsidy scheme.
Barring hitches, 10 suspects, comprising four companies and six individuals, will be arraigned Friday before Justice Habeeb Abiru of the Lagos High Court.
The commission’s spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, in a statement Thursday listed those to be arraigned as Ifeanyi Anosike, Emeka Chukwu, Ngozi Ekeoma, Alhaji Adamu Aliyu Maula, George Ogbonna and Emmanuel Morah.
The companies that will be prosecuted along with them are Anosyke Group of Companies Limited, Dell Energy Limited, Downstream Energy Sources Limited and Rocky Energy Limited.
The suspects are to be prosecuted for fraudulently demanding the payment of N10.6 billion in dubious subsidy claims.
Anosyke Group of Companies, Anosike, Dell Energy Limited, Chukwu and Ekeoma will be arraigned on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy to obtain by false pretence; forgery and uttering false documents to the tune of N1, 537,278,880.82, being payments fraudulently received from the Petroleum Support Fund(PSF) for the purported supply of 15, 000 metric tonnes of petrol.
Downstream Energy Sources Limited, Maula, Rocky Energy Limited, Ogbonna and Morah will also be facing trial on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy to obtain property by false pretence; conspiracy to forge documents, forgery and uttering false documents to the tune of N789,648,329.25, being payments fraudulently received from the PSF for a purported supply of 14,273,0227 litres of petrol.
Before the delay in further arraignment of fuel marketers for abusing the fuel subsidy scheme, the EFCC had in July arraigned seven companies and 12 individuals, including Nasaman Oil Services, Eternal Oil and Gas Limited, Ontario Oil and Gas Plc, Nadabo Energy Limited, Pacific Silver Line Limited and Axenergy Limited.
Others whose trial had taken off are Mamman Nasir Ali, Christian Taylor, Mahmud Tukur, Ochonogor Alex, Walter Wagbatsoma, Adaoha Ugo-Ngadi, Fakuade Babafemi Ebenezer, Ezekiel Olaleye Ejidele, Abubakar Ali Peters, Jude Agube Abalaka, Abdullahi Alao and Oluwaseun Ogunbambo.
Two more directors and an OM&T were arraigned late July before a Lagos High Court in Ikeja, for the fuel subsidy fraud.
The oil marketers and the company arraigned before Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo were Ogunbambo, Habila Theck and Fargo Petroleum and Gas Limited.