Honourable Mark Gbillah, the Chairman investigating committee for crude oil theft in Nigeria’s House of Representatives, said that the committee members are fully committed to investigating the $2.4 billion Nigeria lost to crude oil theft in 2015.
He stated this during an interview on Arise TV on Monday, January 2, 2023. While responding to the timing of the committee set-up and investigation, Hon. Gbillah said:
- “Our job as this committee is to look at this particular issue and other whistleblower revelations. President Muhammadu Buhari in recent times has announced that recoveries of hundreds of millions of dollars have been made from whistleblower revelations. So, we as the representatives of the people want to find out how much was discovered and how those monies were expended.”
According to Hon. Gbillah, the transaction occurred around 2015 and the whistleblower claims that when the crude oil was eventually sold, the monies were not paid to the federal government.
The backstory: In 2020, whistleblowers alleged that 48 million barrels of crude oil, which at the exchange rate at the time, would have amounted to over $2.4 billion was sold off to China, by certain individuals at the helm of affairs in government and some who they claim are still at the helm of affairs in certain quarters in government.
- What the committee wants to achieve before the wrap-up of the ninth assembly: With only a few months left for the ninth assembly, Hon Gbillah said that the investigating committee has been working with the whistleblowers and their associates in confidence due to the sensitive nature of the issue.
- He stated that due to the confidential nature of the investigation, it took a long time to establish the facts and the individuals involved. He said the committee wants to visit all concerned parties within and outside the country.
- According to him, some of these parties are in the United States of America, others are in China and the committee members are 100% committed to keeping the investigation active despite running for office in the forthcoming general elections, in some cases.
For the record: In December 2022, it was reported that the House of Representatives had resolved to constitute an Ad-hoc committee to investigate a whistleblower’s allegation of the illegal sale of 48 million barrels of Nigeria’s Bonny Light crude in China in 2015 and the insurance status of the cargo.
