Senate Committee on Finance on Thursday launched probe into an alleged sales of 1.7 million of crude oil seized by Nigerian Navy between 2021 and first quarter of 2022 by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) without awareness of Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Ahmed Zainab.
The Nigerian Navy represented by Real Admiral , Sola Oluwagbire who is the Director of Operations while speaking before Senate Committee on Finance during an interactive session on loses of revenue in maritime sector said that 44 ships loaded with crude oil were arrested in 2021 with 1.6 million barrel of crude , 4.6 million liters of PMS and 13 ships were arrested within first quarter of 2022 with 154,000 of crude oil.
The total crude oil seized by Nigerian Navy between 2021 and first quarter is 1.754 million crude oil.
He told the Committee that the seized ships were handed over to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), because the Nigerian Navy is not the prosecuting agency and the Anti-graft agency has disposed the seized crude oil.
However, when the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Olamileken Solomon asked the Minister of Finance whether she is aware of the disposed crude oil handed over to EFCC by the Nigeria Navy, the Minister responded that she is not aware of how the seized products have been handled.
She said, ” I am not aware how the seized products were handled.”
Thereafter, the Chairman of the Committee, while speaking on the.development after the interactive session said the Committee has asked Navy to supply more information, the Committee will want to know the current situation of the seized products.
Olamileken said, ” What I can is that , it is another information, we have asked Navy to supply us with information, we want to know the current state of the seized products.
” NNPC is going to appear before us on Monday and we will invite EFCC.”
