-EFCC concludes plans to invite former NNPC heads
-The investigation was opened due to alleged corruption in the sector
-presidency reportedly ordered fresh probe
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has begun fresh investigations into the workings of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)
The anti-corruption crusade championed by President Muhammadu Buhari has shone its beam on the NNPC prompting the EFCC to conclude plans to invite former group managing directors of the corporation in February.
The Punch reports that on Friday, January 29, the EFCC made plans to invite the directors over the loss of revenue during their tenure.
The former head of the NNPC who served from 2009 to 2015 will be summoned. They are: Dr. Mohammed Barkindo (2009-2010); Alhaji Shehu Ladan (April – May 2010); Mr. Austen Oniwon (2010-2012); Andrew Yakubu (2012-2014) and Mr. Joseph Dawha (August 2014 –2015).
According to an EFCC source, the people have not been indicted yet but they would be required to answer some important questions concerning some transactions that occurred during their tenure.
As part of the investigation, the EFCC on the order of the presidency raided the house of one of the former heads of one of the NNPC subsidiaries leading to the confiscation of huge amounts of money. The intelligence report came from the Department of State Security
The source said: “You know that there is collaboration between the agencies in the ongoing efforts to recover some of these funds from these people.
“It was the DSS that got the intelligence report that some amount of money was being kept in the residence of a former head of an NNPC subsidiary.
“And the operation was partly successful because they recovered some funds from the residence of the man. I don’t have the information of how much was recovered from the man.
“All the former group managing directors of the NNPC will be invited by the EFCC next month. They need to make some clarifications on their tenure. It is their explanations that will determine, if they will be detained or not.”
Also, several top executives of the NNPC, who served under the previous administration, had been penciled down for probe.
The reason for the investigation is not unconnected to probe opened by the EFCC and the DSS last year into how the federal government was allegedly short-changed by the NNPC in swapping crude for refined products.
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