The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa, has issued a stern warning to smugglers of petroleum products to stop smuggling or face the full wrath of the law.
The warning from the EFCC boss is coming barely a day after, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said that smuggling across the borders has increased the daily consumption of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to 103 million litres per day in the month of May.
According to a statement issued by the EFCC spokesperson, Mr Wilson Uwujaren on Tuesday in Abuja, Bawa said that the commission had determined to check the activities of the economic saboteurs via special operations.
The EFCC boss, in a remark at a stakeholders’ engagement on high PMS evacuation, code-named “Operation White”, said that smuggling of petroleum products was worrisome.
Bawa said that Nigerians should be rest assured that the EFCC would ensure that those found perpetrating the crime are brought to book, and justice served.
He said, “We are all Nigerians, and as Nigerians, we need a better country for ourselves. We in the EFCC, from the beginning, are happy to be part of Operation White for the reason that, it is part of our responsibility to prevent as well as enforce laws that have to do with economic crimes.’’
Recall that yesterday, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mele Kyari, while lamenting over the smuggling activities across the borders said the current situation had kept the country in a state of bleeding, as it could not sustain the payment of subsidy that accompanies the high volume.
He said that the corporation is collaborating with EFCC, DSS, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to help check this menace.
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