The trial of the embattled chairman of Atlantic
Energy Brass Development Limited and Atlantic Energy Drilling Concept Limited,
Jide Omokore, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, got
underway Thursday.
The case, heard by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the
Federal High Court sitting in Maitama, Abuja, opened with the prosecutor
presenting its first witness, Andrew Yakubu, a former General Managing
Director, GMD, of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
Mr. Yakubu, formerly a co-defendant prior to the
amended charge, shed light on the nature of his engagement with the NNPC, which
involved the strategic direction of NNPC and all its subsidiaries, including
the Port Harcourt refinery, Warri refinery, Kaduna refinery, Pipelines and
Products Marketing Company Limited (PPMC), Nigerian Petroleum Development
Company (NPDC), Integrated Data Services Limited (IDSL) and National Petroleum
Investment Management Services (NAPIMS).
According to him, “in 2013 to 2014, the MD of NPDC,
Mr. Victor Briggs (the fourth defendant) came to me and raised some concerns in
relation to assets OML 60 series in relation to the strategic alliance
agreement between Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Limited and NPDC, citing
inability of Atlantic Drilling to meet payment obligations. He told me that he
was already looking into the issue and will get back to me. I told him to stop
further lifting until the issue is reconciled. I called the Group General
Manager of Crude Oil Marketing Department (COMD) and told him to stop further
lifting until the issue had been resolved”.
He added that, “the Minister of Petroleum Resources
wrote a letter to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources and
I, and set up a committee to investigate the issue. The fourth defendant
(Briggs) was removed from NPDC and reassigned to IDSL. Mr. Membere, who was the
Director-General, Exploration and Production; Tony Madichie, the Company
Secretary in charge; Acting EG, Dr. Dawa and Company Secretary, Mr. Ike, were
also part of the committee that compiled the report. Before they completed,
however, I was also retired from service.”
Regarding the complicity of NAPIMS in meeting the
funding requirements of the assets, Mr. Yakubu stated that, “We got to know
later that NAPIMS made a cash call but I also issued instructions for them to
stop. I also made sure that whatever fund that NAPIMS had paid was refunded to
the federation account by the NNPC”.
At this point, the defense counsel, Rafiu
Lawal-Rabana, applied for an adjournment for cross-examination and he was
obliged.
The matter was consequently adjourned to January
20, 2017 and February 3, 2017 for continuation of trial.
Mr. Omokore, who was on
November 21, re- arraigned alongside Victor Briggs, Abiye Membere, David
Mbanefo, Atlantic Energy Brass Development Limited and Atlantic Energy Drilling
Concepts Limited, is standing trial on a 9-count
amended charge of criminal diversion of about $1.6 billion alleged to be
proceeds of petroleum products belonging to the federal government
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