N25.3bn Fuel Theft Trial Deepens as EFCC Witness Unravels Cargo Discrepancies in MT Ostria Case

The trial over the alleged theft of 25,354,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) took a dramatic turn on Tuesday as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) presented its second prosecution witness before the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos.

The case, which centres on the vessel MT Ostria and three defendants, Captain Raymundo A. Panaligam, Chief Officer Roneno Villarin, and Vincent Wayas, is being heard by Justice Mojisola Dada. The defendants were arraigned on October 29, 2025, on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy and stealing under the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

At the resumed hearing, the prosecution witness, a representative of NNPC Retail Limited, provided detailed testimony linking discrepancies in fuel discharge figures to the eventual EFCC investigation.

According to the witness, concerns were first raised when D. Torros Shipping Limited, the receiving terminal, ordered a suspension of discharge operations after detecting inconsistencies between the quantity of PMS discharged by the vessel and the volume received at the terminal.

“From our operational perspective, we were worried about any delay that could cause additional costs,” the witness told the court. “We were informed that the suspension was due to variations in quantities between the ship’s discharge figure and Torros’ received figure.”

The discrepancy triggered a chain of regulatory alerts. Torros Shipping reportedly notified the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), which escalated the matter to other government agencies, including the Department of State Services (DSS), before the EFCC stepped in.

The witness confirmed that he was invited by the EFCC, where he made a statement and submitted documents relevant to the transaction. These documents, he said, were generated using company equipment and reflected the operational and commercial framework governing the transaction.

Led in evidence by prosecution counsel Bilikisu Buhari, the witness tendered several documents, which were admitted by the court.

A key piece of evidence, marked as Exhibit P4, was identified as a Credit Sales Invoice issued to NNPC Retail Limited. The witness described NNPC Retail as “the ultimate owner” of the allegedly stolen petroleum products.

He explained that the invoice confirmed the sale and delivery of approximately 20.3 million litres of PMS via MT Ostria, which had been nominated by NNPC Retail from a larger mother vessel, MT Northern Light.

The transaction, he added, followed an established internal framework involving NNPC Retail, NNPC Trading, and NNPC Shipping, where product requests are processed through a digital portal that generates sales quotations, also known as Pro Forma Invoice (PFI) numbers.

“This Credit Sales Invoice carries two PFI numbers: 20001584 and 20001601, which are required to appear on all commercial documents relating to the operation,” the witness stated.

He noted that the documentation clearly established the commercial chain of custody and affirmed NNPC Retail Limited as the buyer of the cargo in question.

Justice Dada subsequently adjourned the case to April 15, 2026, for the continuation of cross-examination.

The high-stakes trial is expected to further probe the integrity of petroleum supply chains and regulatory oversight in Nigeria’s downstream sector, as the EFCC intensifies its crackdown on oil theft and related economic crimes.