The House of Representatives has summoned Attorney-General Abubakar Malami and Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, in relation to a $2.4 billion revenue probe concerning the alleged illegal sale of 48 million barrels of crude oil export from 2014 to 2015.
The ad hoc committee investigating the matter issued the summon after Mr Malami and Ms Ahmed failed to appear before the panel. Rep. Mark Gbillah, the committee chairman, stated that the minister and others had received a formal invitation to appear before the committee.
The committee is investigating allegations of crude oil barrels being sold in China, as well as accusations of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) receiving funds from outside the country without remitting them into the federation account in accordance with the constitution.
There are also allegations of expenditures from these recoveries being done in violation of the constitution. The committee has already heard from entities such as the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA), Oriental Energy, and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila emphasized that the investigation is not a witch-hunt, but rather a constitutional responsibility of the House of Representatives as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.
He expressed concern over the alleged loss of over $2.4 billion in potential revenue for Nigeria from crude oil sales and highlighted that the ad hoc committee’s recommendations would guide the house in considering the Whistleblower Bill currently before it, especially in light of the country’s dwindling revenue from crude oil sales.
