*Ola Olukoyede, Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, says the new facility will position the Commission at the forefront of forensic analysis in the fight against oil-related crimes as oil bunkering and product adulteration in the oil sector of the Nigerian economy

Gbenga Kayode | 绿帽献妻

In a bid to further contain oil-related crimes, including illegal oil bunkering and adulteration in the downstream petroleum sector, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched a state-of-the-art Chemical Forensics Laboratory.

ConsumerConnect reports the EFCC noted the move is to make its related investigations more precise through the use of modern technology.

The historic event took place at the commission鈥檚 Zonal Directorate Tuesday, November聽 5, 2024, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.

Speaking, during the event, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, Executive Chairman of EFCC, disclosed the 鈥渟tate-of-the-art鈥� chemical laboratory was established and equipped with the generous support of the MacArthur Foundation.

Olukoyede said the new-fangled chemical forensics laboratory would position the anti-graft regulatory Commission at the forefront of forensic analysis in the fight against oil-related crimes such as oil bunkering and adulteration, report also said.

The Executive Chairman of the Commission also affirmed that the new facility would empower the EFCC to independently carry out rigorous tests on petroleum products.

The Commission, he recalled, had relied heavily on external agencies for analysis of petroleum products and crude samples which led to delays in critical investigations over time.

He further explained: “In the past, our investigations relied heavily on external agencies, including the NNPC and the Department of Petroleum Resources for analysis of petroleum and crude samples.

“This dependency often meant a delay in critical investigations.”

Olukoyede as well disclosed the facility took the EFCC about two years to realise.

He, therefore, described the chemical forensics lab as an achievement for the commission, and a national asset that enhances Nigeria鈥檚 capacity to combat complex economic crimes in the oil sector.

Accompanied by other invited guests, the Executive Chairman inspected the new facility after the official commissioning in Port Harcourt.

Also gracing the occasion Tuesday were Justice Simeon Amadi, Chief Judge of Rivers State; and representatives of the Commissioner of Police, the Army, the Navy, and Managing Director of the Port Harcourt Refinery, among others.