Wednesday, 17 July 2013

Economic Council sets up task force on oil theft

By Ben Agande

Abuja—National Economic Council, yesterday, approved the setting up of a special legal task force to prosecute the 500 suspected crude oil thieves in custody.

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, whose committee was at the last meeting of the council mandated to find a solution to the worrisome issue of oil theft, made the disclosure at the end of the National Council of State meeting, yesterday.

He said that the legal task force is to be headed by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and is aimed at halting the lose of over 400,000 barrels of crude daily to oil thieves.

According to him, a meeting of the committee of the council, led by Governor Godswill Akpabio with the Attorney-General of the Federation earlier, yesterday, proposed the solution as a way of salvaging the nation’s economy.

Governor Uduaghan explained that participants at the meeting, which was attended by the Secretary to the National Planning Commission; Chief Executive of NEITI and a representative of the Inspector-General of Police looked at ways of strengthening the extant deterrence policy by ensuring more arrests and convictions of the oil thieves.

[caption id="attachment_253559" align="alignnone" width="400"]Gov Uduaghan Gov Uduaghan[/caption]

He added that members of the task force, whose operation would be for a year, would be announced by the AGF on Monday.

Uduaghan said: “The resolutions included that a legal task force headed by the AGF be set up immediately to commence prosecution of proven cases, using relevant laws; particularly the Miscellaneous Offences Act which carries a sentence of 21 years without option of fine.

“The legal task force is to be made up of representatives from the NNPC, the Armed Forces, Civil Defence, Police, DSS and other related agencies.”

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