The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has announced that its Benin Zonal Directorate has initiated an investigation into seven individuals suspected of oil theft, along with six trucks that were transferred to the commission by the 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army.
In a statement issued by the EFCC on Thursday, it was noted that the Army handed over the suspects and the vehicles on Wednesday, February 19.
Major D.R. Okoh, who represented the Commander of the Headquarters 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, during the transfer in Benin, indicated that the six trucks, each carrying 45,000 liters of suspected illegal petroleum products, were intercepted by troops of the 4 Brigade Operation Wabaizigan at Upper Sakponba and Ologbo, situated along the Benin Sapele Road in Benin City.
He further explained that initial investigations revealed that while the trucks had authorization to transport waste condensate oil, they were apprehended with products believed to be condensate rather than condensate waste.
Upon receiving the suspects and the trucks on behalf of the commission, a Deputy Superintendent of the EFCC, Usman Abdullahi Nuhu, stated that the commission would conduct additional investigations to determine the appropriate course of action.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has categorically debunked a report that claimed it has recently imported 200 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit, commonly known as petrol or fuel.
In a statement released in Abuja on Tuesday, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, stressed that the company had not imported any quantity of this product in 2025.
Naija News understands that Soneye’s disclaimer comes following a report in some quarters that the national oil company had imported 200 million litres of petrol recently.
Soneye characterized the report as a result of either “laziness and unprofessional journalism” or a “deliberate, sponsored effort by economic saboteurs to mislead the public.”
