The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has recovered more than N5 billion and $10 million from contractors and government officials implicated in fraudulent activities linked to the turnaround maintenance of Nigeria’s refineries in Port Harcourt, Kaduna, and Warri.
Investigations have revealed that the anti-graft agency is also pursuing the recovery of an additional N10 billion and $13 million allegedly siphoned through inflated contracts and questionable transactions in the rehabilitation projects.
Sources within the agency have disclosed that, Barr. Ola Olukoyede, rhe EFCC Chairman, personally took charge of the investigation, expressing deep concern over the continued non-performance of the nation’s refineries despite decades of heavy public spending.
A senior commission official, who spoke off the record, confirmed the recoveries and ongoing probe, noting that Nigeria’s four state-owned refineries have remained largely comatose for decades despite repeated rehabilitation efforts.
Successive administrations have committed billions of dollars to turnaround maintenance (TAM), but the facilities have continued to underperform, forcing Africa’s biggest oil producer to rely on imported petroleum products.
According to EFCC insiders, the commission is probing the disbursement of $1.55 billion to the Port Harcourt refinery, $740.6 million to the Kaduna refinery, and $656.9 million to the Warri refinery.
Investigators reportedly uncovered widespread fraud involving over-invoicing, contract inflation, and suspicious payments that undermined the projects.
“The investigation into the turnaround maintenance of the nation’s refineries has yielded major discoveries of large-scale fraud.
“Former management teams of the three refineries were repeatedly arrested and interrogated, and recoveries of $10 million and N5 billion have so far been made from contractors and officials linked to over-invoicing and inflated contracts”, a senior EFCC source disclosed to our correspondent.
The source added that the EFCC had concluded investigations into some officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) allegedly involved in the rehabilitation deals and was preparing to file charges against them.
“Both former and serving officials of the NNPCL and the refineries may face prosecution soon,” the source disclosed.
Another source confirmed that the EFCC is also pursuing additional recoveries, including $13 million and N10 billion traced to fraudulent contractor payments.
The commission is further investigating fresh allegations of contract inflation involving about $40 million, allegedly linked to NNPCL officials and contractors responsible for procuring equipment for the rehabilitation works.
