An environmental activist, Anderson Achilike, on Wednesday approached
the Federal High Court, Abuja for an order compelling the Attorney General of
the Federation and Minister of Justice and the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) to probe allegations of non-remittance of funds to the
federal government by Shell Petroleum Development Company Nigeria Ltd.
Other allegations raised by the plaintiff, who is also a
legal practitioner is a probe of the oil giant for under-declaration of crude
oil exportation and shipment, instigation of acts of pipeline vandalism, oil
theft, third party interference in trunk line operations and incessant cases of
fire outbreak.
The plaintiff said he filed the suit "as a matter of urgent
national importance to save the dwindling economic fortunes of the country from
acts capable of undermining the future of Nigeria."
He is therefore praying for "an order directing and
compelling the 3rd Defendant as a designated financial intelligence unit in
Nigeria, acting with or through the 2nd Defendant and/or other security
agencies, to carry out an investigation of the 1st Defendant over cases of
non-remittance and under-declaration of crude oil exportation and shipment,
third party interference in its trunk line operations, incessant cases of fire
outbreak, repeated incidents of sabotage or other suspicious activities or
occurrences at its Forcados and Bonny Oil Terminals and Bonga FSPO (floating
production, storage and offloading) vessel, which has resulted in loss of
revenue, continuous oil theft, monumental shortfall in crude oil production,
poor economic revenue, pipeline vandalism, disruption of oil production,
destruction of oil installation, economic sabotage etc in Nigeria."
He is also seeking an order directing and compelling the
EFCC to carry out a quantitative investigation of the amount or quantity of
crude oil coming into or supplied to and exported from the Shell‘s Forcados and
Bonny Oil Terminals and Bonga FSPO vessel as well as the amount or quantity of
crude oil, claimed to have been or supposed to have been exported from the said
terminals from January 1, 2001 to August 31 2019.
Among other reliefs, the plaintiff wants a declaration that
the act or conduct of Shell in not remitting and under-declaring of crude oil
exportation and shipment, among others, is illegal, unlawful and constitutes
economic sabotage and crime against the Nigerian state.
The plaintiff is also praying for "a declaration that
the EFCC, being a designated financial intelligence unit in Nigeria, acting
with or through the AGF and/or other security agencies, has the statutory duty
to investigate various acts and/or allegations of commission of economic crimes
by Shell against the Federal Government of Nigeria through its non-remittance
and under-declaration of crude oil exportation and shipment, various acts of
self-induced oil theft etc.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
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