The acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu has warned petroleum tanker drivers of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers( NUPENG) in the Niger Delta area, to steer clear of products diversion and collusion with illegal oil bunkerers.
He gave the warning on Monday, April 29, 2019 through the Port Harcourt’s Zonal Head of the EFCC, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, when Executives of Petroleum Tanker Drivers of NUPENG paid him a courtesy visit.
According to him, tanker drivers are increasingly getting involved in illegal oil bunkering crimes through product diversions and carriage of illegal petroleum products.
“Your members are being used for illegal diversion of products. Your organization is protecting criminals from being arrested and this is worrisome.
“Your organization, NUPENG is known for comradeship, not collusion. Right now, we have over 500 Trucks in our custody for investigation and possible prosecution on illegal oil bunkering. This is not good enough. You must desist from this practice”, he said.
Magu charged the drivers to come forward with modalities of tackling illegal movements of their trucks in order to stem the tide of daily arrests.
“You can come up with how to monitor movements of your trucks. You can look into tracking of your trucks. It is obvious that those illegal oil bunkerers refining illegal products are in business because they are sure that your members are available to convey the products”, he said.
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He also tasked the drivers to key into the whistle blowing policy of the government by offering useful information to the EFCC on the activities of drivers suspected to be fraudulent.
In his response, Chairman of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers, Comrade Ezenwa Kingsley, expressed appreciation to the EFCC for the visit. He explained that NUPENG had never supported any of its members involved in products diversion or collusion with illegal oil bunkerers.
“In all our meetings, we have a policy that the union can never cover up or associate with anyone caught in any illegality. We made billboards of culprits of product diversion.
“We have a Task Force checking any form of infraction by our members. Once you are caught, we will bring you out”, he said.
Another member of the delegation to the EFCC, Comrade Moses Benibo said that his union was becoming helpless over the activities of the rouge drivers because ” there are big shots involved in the business of products diversion and our lives could be at risk if we tackle them on our own”.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
