The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has sought the support and technical expertise of the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, in the disposal of forfeited Petroleum products to the Federal Government of Nigeria by individuals and companies convicted of illegal dealing in petroleum products. .
The request by EFCC was made on Tuesday, July 23, 2019 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State by Secretary to the EFCC, Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede who paid an official visit to the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, Port Harcourt Zone.
According to him, the EFCC needed the technical expertise of officials of DPR to sell off the forfeited petroleum products carried by trucks to the government, as contained in a final forfeiture order recently granted the EFCC by a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt. He said:
“We have a court order empowering the EFCC to conduct the sale of petroleum products carried by 244 trucks forfeited to the government. As you know, the extractive Industry is technical. We need your support in the process of disposal of the forfeited petroleum products.
We need to determine the status and volume of the products. We need your technical expertise in this regard”, he said.
In his response, Port Harcourt’s Zonal Coordinator of DPR, Mr. Bassey Nkanga thanked Olukoyede for his visit and expressed readiness of his Department to support the EFCC in carrying out the sale of the products.
“We know the importance of EFCC. We are ready to collaborate with you. That is what we have been doing and we will continue to do so”, he said.
The forfeiture of the trucks was contained in an order granted by Justice I. M Sani of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on July 5, 2019. .
Meanwhile, in furtherance of the assessment of the forfeited trucks to the EFCC, Olukoyede made physical sighting of the trucks in various locations at 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt.