Akintola William’s Top Aide, Oil Marketers and others to face Prosecution over Fuel Subsidy Scam
A director of Akintola Williams Deloitte, an accounting firm, Ezekiel Olaleye Ejidele is to be prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over his role in the fuel subsidy scam.
To face prosecution along with Ejidele are ten other individuals: Mamman Nasir Ali; Christian Taylor; Mahmud Tukur; Ochonogor Alex; Walter Wagbatsoma; Adaoha Ugo-Ngadi;Abubakar Ali Peters; Jude Agube Abalaka, Abdulahi Alao and Oluwaseun Ogunbanbo. The suspects also include Babafemi Ebenezer who is a staff of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulating Agency, PPPRA
According to a press release signed by the spokes person of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, six other companies; Axenergy Limited, Nasaman Oil Services; Eternal Oil and Gas Plc; Ontario Oil & Gas Plc; Nadabo Energy Limited; Pacific Silver Line Limited, and Fago Petroleum and Gas Limited have also been listed to stand trial for their roles in the said scam.
The statement added that “Nasaman Oil Services; Mamman Nasir and Christian Taylor are to face charges bordering on obtaining N4, 460, 130, 797. 94 (Four Billion, Four Hundred and Sixty Million, One Hundred and Thirty Thousand, Seven Hundred and Ninety Seven Naira, Ninety Four Kobo) from the Federal Government of Nigeria under false pretence. The sum is alleged to have been fraudulently obtained as subsidy payments from the Petroleum Support Fund for the purported importation of 30.5million litres of Premium Motor Spirit from SEATAC Petroleum Limited of British Virgin Islands,”
The EFCC will also prosecute Abdullahi Alao and Axenergy Limited for allegedly obtaining the sum of N2, 640, 141, 707.75 (Two Billion, Six Hundred and Forty Million; One Hundred and Forty One Thousand; Seven Hundred and Seven Naira, Seventy Five Kobo) being payments received from the Petroleum Support Fund for the purported importation of 33.3 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit.
Others for prosecution include Nadabo Energy Limited, Abubakar Ali Peters, Jude Agube Abalaka and Pacific Silver Line Limited for allegedly obtaining the sum of N1, 464, 961, 978.24 (One Billion, Four Hundred and Sixty Four Million, Nine Hundred and Sixty One Thousand, Nine Hundred and Seventy Eight Naira, Twenty- Four Kobo ), being payments fraudulently received from the Petroleum Support Fund for a purported importation of 19.4million litres of Premium Motor Spirit.
Also indicted are Mahmud Tukur, Ochonogor Alex; Abdulahi Alao and Eternal Oil And Gas Plc who will be docked for fraudulently obtaining the sum of N1, 899, 238, 946. 02( One Billion, Eight Hundred and Ninety Nine Million, Two Hundred and Thirty Eight Thousand, Nine Hundred and Forty Six Naira, Two Kobo) from the Petroleum support Fund for a purported importation of 80.3million litres of Premium Motor Spirit.
However, it is not yet clear when and how the indicted persons will be prosecuted or if the trial would produce any tangible result at the end . In recent times, there has been clamour for a special court to handle corruption cases given the usual long delay that have characterised the court processes involving those indicted for corruption in Nigeria.
