Johnson Agbonayinma, a former lawmaker, gave an account of the Federal Government’s efforts to litigate cases of crude oil theft on Wednesday, which he says were ultimately thwarted by forces from within.
Agbonayinma made the revelation as the House of Representatives investigates allegations of $2.4 billion in stolen crude oil.
Former House of Representatives Committee on Nigeria/US Parliamentary Relations Chairman, who appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today, shed light on crude oil sales records from 2011 to 2014.
He claimed that several of the erring companies were indigenous, while others were International Oil Companies (IOCs) conspiring with “some of our people.”
According to him, the Federal Government took legal action against some of these companies.
The former lawmaker stated that after the lawyers engaged by the Federal Government, including Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), “connived” with the IOCs and some local counterparts to “derail the wheel of progress”.
He added, “Up till now, have you heard any judgement on all these cases?”
Agbonayinma stated that the Federal Government’s lead counsel, a “well-known lawyer in the United States of America” by the name of Anthony Jerome, was at his wit’s end.
Citing his previous interview with Channels Television six years ago, the former House of Representatives member alluded to the lawyer doing as much as he could under the circumstances.
“That was the person who led the counsel to convene and unearth this rubbish. The man said, ‘I gave you everything in the interview you granted. You showed it all on Channels.’ He said, ‘Honourable E.J., I’m not coming back to Nigeria again.’”
“I asked why. He said, ‘Your people are your own problem. The only way we can have a headway is we have to take this litigation to the United States. Once this is in the United States, we will have a headway.”