An investigation by SaharaReporters has revealed
that officials of President Muhammadu Buhari's
administration are blocking an investigation into
massive fraud committed by a Nigerian oil firm,
Sahara Energy.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) on May 26 raided the Lagos
and Abuja headquarters of Sahara Energy.
However, EFCC sources told our correspondent
that officials of the government ordered the anti-
corruption agency not to publicize the raid.
SaharaReporters learnt that EFCC agents seized
computers from the firm, but interventions from
high-level officials of the Buhari regime meant
that the investigation has not advanced or see
the light of the day.
Our sources named Mr. Buhari's Chief of Staff,
Abba Kyari, as a key ally of Sahara Energy, and
the official behind attempts to scuttle the firm's
billion dollar fraud.
The current chairman of the Petroleum
Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, Mohammed
Buba, who was appointed on May 25 during the
labor strike against fuel price increase, was a
director at Sahara Energy.
Our sources said that Chief of Staff Kyari had
since his appointment worked to shield Sahara
Energy from any serious investigation.
Mr. Buba, who is from Borno State, is one of the
Chief of Staff’s closest friends. He was a former
MD of Pipelines and Product Marketing Company
Limited, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
SaharaReporters learned that Mamman Daura,
one of President Muhammadu Buhari’s closest
friends, is also involved in efforts to cover up
investigations into Sahara Energy.
An investigator disclosed that EFCC operatives
found significant information regarding how
former Oil Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke used
the firm to funnel funds to third parties. The
source disclosed that the funds in question
amounted to close to $400 million.
Sahara Energy is named as one of the firms that
reaped hundreds of millions of dollars through
crude oil swap deals introduced by Ms. Alison-
Madueke during her ministerial tenure.
The former minister's offshore processing
agreement with Sahara Energy also involved the
owner of Aiteo, Benny Peters, Atlantic Energy,
owned by Jide Omokore, and a fugitive oil dealer,
Kola Aluko. Investigators believe that the firms
made away with at least $4 billion of public funds
through the opaque arrangements.
Much of the revelations against Sahara Energy
has come from fraud suspects currently under
investigation by the EFCC. One of our sources said
the informants were amazed that Sahara Energy
has so far been shielded from the kind of publicity
and shame extended to much smaller players.
Last month, a company registered by Sahara
Energy, Actus Integrated, was revealed as having
given $60 million through Fidelity Bank to help
former President Goodluck Jonathan rig himself
into office during the 2015 presidential election.
One source told SaharaReporters that the
company might have equally donated heavily
towards President Buhari’s presidential campaign
through his friend Maman Daura and Chief of
Staff, Abba Kyari

omenka:
One thing about PDP supporters- they haven't an iota of shame or honour in them. If I were them, after all I say about SR, the last thing I'd do is lifting a story from that site.

Just imagine myself bringing a story from trent, breakingtimes or igberetv to nairaland.

Trut:


Oneh, face the main topic and stop derailing the thread.

ganisucks:

Please don't MYND him. He is an alias for an APC mod. He J̶̲̥̅̊u̶̲̥̅̊ƨ̣̣̣̇̇̇̇τ̣̣̥ wants †̥♥ bait someone, so he can ban them. We should all start ignoring him, lest we fall into the trap.