ACTING Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, on Monday cautioned Petroleum Tanker Drivers of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, in the Niger Delta region to steer clear of petroleum products diversion and collusion with illegal oil bunkers.  

He issued this statement at the Port Harcourt’s zonal office of the commission, where he was represented by Abdulrasheed Bawa during a courtesy visit by the executives of Petroleum Tanker Drivers unit of NUPENG.

The EFCC boss noted that tanker drivers were increasingly getting involved in illegal oil bunkering 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 ways on how to monitor movements of your trucks. You can look into the tracking of your trucks. It is obvious that those illegal oil bunkers refining illegal products are in business because they are sure that your members are available to convey the products,” he said.

He also tasked the drivers to key into the whistleblowing policy of the government by offering useful information to the EFCC on the activities of drivers suspected to be fraudulent.

Ezenwa Kingsley, Chairman of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers, explained that NUPENG had never supported any of its members involved in products diversion or collusion with illegal oil bunkers.

“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 an infraction by our members. Once you are caught, we will bring you out,” he said.

Moses Benibo, a NUPENG official, also affirmed that the union was becoming helpless over the activities of the rogue 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,” he said.