The Department of State Services and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission may be investigating the illegal lifting of crude oil between 2007 and 2015.
The agencies are said to be centering their investigation on the 113 vessels that the Federal Government banned from lifting Nigeria’s crude oil in July 2015.
An inter-agency committee, which was constituted on the issue, by the Federal Government in July 2014, has submitted its report to the government, hence the investigation.
Consequently, the government forwarded the report of the inter-agency committee to the DSS and EFCC to carry out appropriate action.
Some of the affected companies reportedly belong to powerful politicians in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Punch Newspapers reports that officials of the EFCC have already interrogated some top officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
A DSS sources was quoted to have revealed that the agency is in the process of getting strong evidence against companies involved in oil theft to ensure proper prosecution.
The DSS is expected to submit its findings to the Ministry of Justice after the investigation.
“The investigations are to ensure that we block loopholes so that we will have a good case when the trial begins.”
