Ismail Abdulazeez Mantu Reporting
The joint socio-political groups of Niger Delta Awakening (NDA), and Youth for Edo Development (YED), have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to urgently revisit the unfinished trial of Mr. Jerret Tenebe, Chairman of All Progressives Congress APC in Edo State, over alleged crude oil fraud.
Making the demand on Wednesday in Benin City, the groups recalled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC on Monday, December 18th, 2017, arraigned Jarret Tenebe and his company Fenix Impex Nigeria Limited, before Justice A.S Umar of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, on alleged forgery and crude oil fraud.
They said Tenebe , was arrested in 2014 after US investigators informed Nigeria’s law enforcement authorities that several vessels linked to Fenix Impex Nigeria Limited, belonging to him were allegedly involved in ferrying stolen crude from Nigeria to Ghana via the Saltpond oil platform.
The groups lamented that due to the unfinished trial and appropriate sanctioning of Tenebe on the alleged crude theft, it had paved way for the continued oil bunkering, and high level oil theft in Niger Delta region.
They urged the EFCC to re-arrest and continue the investigation of Tenebe for his alleged involvement in the criminal trade.
In a statement, the group noted that if Tenebe had been tried, prosecuted and jailed for the offence on crude oil fraud, it would have been a deterrent to persons presently involved in oil theft in Niger Delta.
They said oil theft is still thriving in Niger Delta region because the Federal Government and EFCC have not jailed any person (s) on crude oil theft.
It called on President Tinubu to direct the EFCC to re-arrest Tenebe to face trial, noting that it is worrisome why the EFCC could not finish the trial over many years.
It will be recalled that Tenebe spent some time in EFCC custody, during which indicting revelations were made about what came to be known as the ‘Saltpond Crude Oil Scam’, he was eventually able to slip away and escape justice following mounting pressure from the highly-placed officials whom he worked for as a front agent to steal and illegally sell Nigeria’s crude oil across borders.
According to the groups, the FG led by President Tinubu should order for the arrest and prosecution of Tenebe and all other actors responsible for oil theft especially now that Nigeria currently experiencing a severe economic crunch resulting largely from its inability to maximize earnings from the sale of crude oil, its major source of foreign exchange.
Noting that the inability of the EFCC to finish the prosecution of Tenebe was undermining trust in the EFCC and President Tinubu’s voiced commitment to curbing corruption in the country and bringing culprits whose actions brought the country to its knees to justice.
“The President and the EFCC cannot expect Nigerians to take them seriously when they talk about corruption and reforms of the crude oil sector if a known alleged crude oil thief is seen at the Presidential Villa hobnobbing with senior figures of the administration. It just gives the impression that the government is condoning some ‘state-sanctioned’ thieves who are allowed to use their criminally-assembled funds to buy political power and influence,”
“ The EFCC must wash the house clean by immediately arresting Tenebe and resuming investigation on him as that will send warning to perpetuators of oil theft in Niger Delta “
According to our investigation, Sahara Reporters revealed that I n March 2014, Nigerian soldiers, who were under the command of Brigadier General Azinta, had arrested Mr. Tenebe and Mr. Dunia. The two men’s arrest came after soldiers found fraudulent crude oil evacuation contracts in their possession. One Rear Admiral Austin Oyagha of the Nigerian Navy reportedly signed the evacuation documents on behalf of the Nigerian navy.
Following their arrest by the soldiers in Benin City, Mr. Tenebe and Mr. Dunia were caught red handed when they tried to bribe Brigadier General Azinta, the brigade commander of the Nigerian Army in Benin. Both men were in possession of $65,000, which was meant to bribe General Azinta.
Our EFCC source disclosed that the brigade commander reportedly played along with his would-be bribers for some days before arranging their arrest. The army officer handed over the bribe money to investigators as evidence against the two suspects.
The groups concluded that Jarret has no immunity and he is liable to arrest and trial by law enforcement agencies in Nigeria.
