The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa has vowed that smugglers of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in the country will face the full wrath of the law.
Bawa issued this stern warning today, Tuesday 22 June, while making a remark during a stakeholders’ engagement on high PMS evacuation, code named “Operation White 2“ at the Nigerian National Pertroleum Corporation (NNPC) Towers, Abuja.
The anti-corruption czar said the issue of smuggling of petroleum products in the country is worrisome, and assured that the EFCC is fully committed to the special operation designed to check the activities of the economic saboteurs.
According to him, Nigerians can be rest assured that the EFCC under his watch will do all that is possible to ensure that those found perpetrating the crime are brought to book, and justice is served for the benefit of all Nigerians.
While noting that Nigerian citizens are desirous of a better country, he expressed pleasure about the EFCC being a part of the Operation White, being that “it is part of our responsibility to prevent as well as enforce laws that have to do with economic crimes”.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, said the illegal export of PMS is something that needs to be checked, adding that although Operation White 2 was commissioned less than a year ago, he could not ascertain its efficiency until the EFCC came into the picture.
“We brought in the big hammer, and the big hammer as you can see is EFCC, because it is economic sabotage and I believe with the EFCC in the picture, the system will work even better,” the Minister said.
Speaking earlier, the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Kolo Mele Kyari, said the issue of PMS smuggling will no longer be business as usual, and “that is the major reason why the NNPC invited all the stakeholders.
“The President (Muhammadu Buhari) said we have to do everything possible to stop it. That is why we dragged the EFCC, Department of State Service, DSS, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, and Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, to help control the volume,” Kyari said.
