The Port Harcourt’s Zonal Office of the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured sixteen (16) convictions between January and September, 2018. Forty-four( 44) cases charged to court within the same time frame.
This disclosure was made on Wednesday, 3 October in Port Harcourt, Rivers State by the Zonal Head of Operations of the EFCC, Mr. Nnaghe Obono Itam while addressing the Media on the activities of the Zone in the last 9 months.
According to him, “16 convictions were secured from different courts in the Zone. The convicts were jailed for offences ranging from forgery, conspiracy, obtaining under false pretences, illegal oil bunkering among others. Within 9 months, 221 cases were referred to the legal department and 44 cases are charged to court”.
On recoveries, the Zone recovered N1.6 billion, $ 678, 354. 80 and €5,225 within the time frame. Besides, a total number of 283 trucks were arrested for illegal oil bunkering. 17 Oil Vessels, 9 Barges and 2 Wooden Boats were arrested for the same offence.
The cumulative amount of petroleum products in the all the Vessels, Barges and Boats arrested is 1,002, 254.7 metric tonnes. The products are suspected to be Automotive Gas Oil, AGO. Itam said that thorough investigations are ongoing in all of the cases of illegal oil bunkering reported to the Zone.
Meanwhile, two suspects: Emeka Ebunoha and Igwe Obumneme Samuel have been arrested in Port Harcourt for examination fraud. They are a part of an internet syndicate selling leaked examination papers to students sitting for the West African School Certificate Examination, WASCE. They are also allegedly responsible for leakages of examination papers of the National Examination Council, NECO and the Joint Admission Matriculation Board, JAMB.
The two suspects are allegedly running two websites: www.examsort.com and www.expomata.blogspot.com and confessed that the websites were created to sell leaked examination questions and answers to students and that they were being paid through payments into their bank accounts or through receipt of recharge cards from students patronising them. The two suspects would soon be charged to court.