Crisis rocks Buhari’s camp as illegal 100m barrels crude oil deal blows open

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By Francis Ogwo

There seems to be a rising smoke of controversy in Abuja as details unfold of an alleged sharing of secret oil proceeds by President Buhari’s cabal.

According to KaftanPost sources, about 100million barrels of crude oil, which was illegally shipped from Nigeria in 2015 and kept in tank farms in Qingdao, China’s eastern Shandong Province, was secretly sold for $800million, and the money allegedly shared by top members of President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabal.

The key members of the administration who were fingered in sharing the largesse include Buhari’s late Chief of Staff, Mallam Abba Kyari; Late Group General Manager, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru; Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; Minister for Power, Saleh Mamman; and the current GMD, NNPC, Mele Kayi.

The embattled acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was also reported in the deal including Air Commodore, Mohammed Umar Rtd., former Director-General, State Security Services, Mallam Lawal Daura.

The deal, which was tagged as “The China Deal” illegal crude oil sale, had gathered enough attention even as it is currently in court in Mexico after the cabal allegedly refused to pay a certain American-Mexican company, SAMANO, an agreed 5% of 48million for discovering the hidden crude oil in Qingdao, Zhoushan and Rizhao, in China.

According to sources, before the 2015 elections during the era of former President Goodluck Jonathan, several vessels loaded with crude oil left Nigeria en route China. The ship had arrived in China at the Port in Qingdao but was boycotted by potential buyers as the government of Goodluck Jonathan had left power for the ruling government of President Buhari.

This development led to the abandonment of the crude, which were already discharged in several tank farms in China’s port city of Qingdao, Zhoushan, and Rizhao.

When President Buhari was sworn in, SAMANO leaked the information of the abandoned crude oil in China.

Subsequently, in August 2016, SAMANO received a letter from Hamman Saleh, who is now Minister of Power, through his company, Northon Oil and Gas Services, which extended an invitation to them into Nigeria to discuss with government officials on the development.

Sources revealed that SAMANO refused to send details of the crude oil through electronic means thereby leading to an invitation letter sent to them.

One Messrs Jose Salazar Tinajero subsequently led a team from SAMANO, Mexico, into Nigeria and accompanied by A. Nick Cadena, and Juan Carlos Jaramillo García. They held a meeting at No. 1 Gado Nasko Close, Asokoro, Abuja, in the home of Air Commodore Umar, a key member of Buhari’s ‘inner chamber’.

Sources further revealed that Buhari gave his approval after the meeting leading to Umar and other members of the cabal, including Mele Kyari, then GGM Crude, NNPC, jetting out to China to track the domiciled crude oil.

Upon arrival in China, Umar and Kyari and some allies decided to hide the information of the crude oil in Nigeria declaring it as fake news and that nothing like that existed.

An affidavit was sworn with Umar and late Abba Kyari assuring SAMANO that the 5% of the total value of 48 million barrels of crude oil found will be paid to them. The source, however, revealed that surprisingly, between October and November 2015, SAMANO officials while back in Mexico got a piece of information from China that the crude had been sold.

Details of the affidavit claimed that SAMANO demanded their agreed share of the crude oil sales but were harassed and locked up in Nigeria with some of them blackmailed.

According to the affidavit, the GMD NNPC, Mr. Kyari, allegedly told a SAMANO representative through WhatsApp chat that the late Abba Kyari and Umar had intercepted the information on the crude and sold the crude, cajoling them away from the deal with a promise to compensate SAMANO.

Investigations later revealed that after the sale, the proceeds were shared by the Nigerian officials who informed President Buhari that the deal was quashed with the buyers losing interest in buying the crude oil.

It was discovered that the crude oil, which was secretly shipped to China in 2015, was over 100 million barrels but SAMANO could only trace 48 million barrels. The cabal was alleged to have found an additional 52 million barrels stored in other tank farms in China and sold them off.

A lawyer to SAMANO, Joaquin Esparza Mendez, had disclosed that the Mexican Court had stalled the case for lack of jurisdiction. He said the Judge had advised they file the case in Nigeria since the Whistleblowers Act for which they are relying on is domiciled in Nigeria.

Officials of SAMANO had been reported to have lost hope in Nigeria’s courts and had pulled out with a plan to file the matter in a court in London after the COVID-19 restrictions.

At the moment, widespread investigations on the case have revealed some details, which many have termed convincing on the crude oil deal including other vital conversations.

Experts say the outcome of this investigation and the unfolding drama would have a toll on the current administration’s fight against corruption and the credibility of the self-acclaimed corruption fighters who have held Nigerians neck stiffed and focused on a war, which began since 2015.

Details of the Investigations will be made available by KaftanPost.

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