The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu has said that oil thieves in the Niger Delta will find it tough to sabotage Nigeria’s economy through their nefarious acts, stating that the agency will not relent in fighting it.

Mr Magu who was in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital gave the warning during a working visit to Zonal Office of the Commission.

In a statement by the Head, Media and Publicity of the Anti-graft agency, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, said that the EFCC boss warned the illegal oil thieves in the Niger Delta to desist from acts of oil theft and economic sabotage.

“Let me also use this medium to warn all illegal oil bunkers to desist from their nefarious operations.  The EFCC is resolute in its fight against economic sabotage and oil theft”.

“The Niger Delta is highly significant to our national economy and the Commission will continue to do all that is lawful and patriotic in ensuring that operators of illegal oil bunkering are brought to book.”

The EFCC Chairman also paid an inspection visit to the 6th Division, Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt, where vehicles forfeited to the Federal Government by illegal oil dealers are being parked.  Magu explained that all the forfeited vehicles belong to the Federal Government and the processes for their auction are still ongoing.

“All the vehicles forfeited belong to the government. The processes are ongoing.  We are following processes stated in the Procurement Act. We are not hiding anything. All the vehicles auctioned are still there.  The auction processes continue until payments and reconciliation are made,” he said.

Magu said: “I think Rivers is the next to Lagos in terms of crime. This is the headquarter of money laundering because there is a lot of oil money here.

“I think you can rate Port Harcourt the second to maybe Lagos, maybe because of the large space of oil deals.

“Nothing is going to stop us. Even the issue of the court order allegedly obtained by Dr Peter Odili and co to stop the EFCC from investigation and prosecution is still at the Supreme Court. We are on it”.

“I am telling you that, that judgement cannot stand; it will only take some time but it cannot hold and we are going to conclude the investigation”.

“There are so many investigations we are doing. I am sure the matter has suffered for about 13 years now. We are going to test it. The matter is in the Supreme Court. We will follow it up”.

“That decision that is pending in the Supreme Court cannot hold water again. There is a subsequent judgment that has overridden it”.

“Other judgement say nobody, not even a judge, not even the Judiciary, not even the court can stop us from investigating and prosecuting,” he said.