James Harrison, Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has demanded the establishment of special courts to combats the menace of oil thieves in the country.
The Director of Investigation of the EFCC, Abdulkarim Chukkol, made the call at the ongoing hearing of the House of Representatives Special Committee on Crude Oil Theft in Abuja on Wednesday.
Chukkol said that the commission charged 400 cases concerning oil theft to court in 2019 and 200 others prosecuted in 2022.
The EFCC Director of Investigation explained that the establishment of special courts and an amendment for the legal framework would put the agency in a vantage position to effectively prosecute crude oil thieves.
The EFCC’s call follows a similar suggestion by Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive of the NNPCL, during the National Judges Capacity Building Workshop on the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Kyari had advocated the support of the judiciary in prosecution of the campaign against crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism.
