The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) presented its second prosecution witness in the trial over the alleged theft of 25,354,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) linked to NNPC Retail Limited. The case, ongoing before Justice Mojisola Dada at the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, involves the vessel MT Ostria, its Captain Raymundo A. Panaligam, Chief Officer Roneno Villarin, and Vincent Wayas. They were arraigned on October 29, 2025, on charges of conspiracy and stealing under Lagos State's Criminal Law. The witness, a representative of NNPC, testified that D. Torros Shipping Limited suspended discharge operations due to a discrepancy between the ship's discharge volume and the quantity received. He stated that Torros reported the variance to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), which escalated the matter to agencies including the Department of State Services and the EFCC. The witness confirmed he was interviewed by the EFCC, provided a statement, and submitted company documents generated using operational equipment. Prosecution counsel Bilikisu Buhari tendered these documents, which the court admitted. The witness explained that Exhibit P4, a Credit Sales Invoice, showed NNPC Retail as the buyer of the cargo from NNPC Trading, citing internal transaction protocols involving sales quotation numbers 20001584 and 20001601. Justice Dada adjourned proceedings to April 15, 2026, for cross-examination.
The appearance of a second NNPC witness in this case exposes the depth of internal scrutiny now facing the corporation's downstream operations, with Vincent Wayas and MT Ostria's crew caught in a chain of accountability that begins within NNPC's own documentation. The specific mention of sales quotation numbers 20001584 and 20001601, tied to a Credit Sales Invoice, suggests the theft did not occur in a vacuum but within a structured commercial framework meant to prevent exactly this kind of loss.
This trial is less about maritime anomaly than systemic control in Nigeria's fuel supply chain, where NNPC subsidiaries interact under formal protocols that are now being tested in court. The fact that D. Torros Shipping flagged the discrepancy and that NMDPRA escalated to the DSS and EFCC shows existing red flags were activated — but only after millions of litres had already been discharged under questionable alignment. The witness's confirmation that NNPC Retail is the "ultimate owner" of the missing PMS places the financial burden of the loss squarely within a state-linked entity, raising questions about oversight during transfer from MT Northern Light to MT Ostria.
Ordinary Nigerians, especially those in Lagos and surrounding regions dependent on stable fuel distribution, bear the indirect cost of such losses through inflated operational expenses that feed into pricing dynamics. When 25.3 million litres vanish within a regulated chain, it is not just a corporate loss — it is a leakage in the national supply artery.
This case fits a recurring pattern: fuel theft not through crude siphoning but via cargo mismanagement in the downstream sector, where documentation trails exist but enforcement lags. The court's focus on commercial invoices and internal NNPC protocols signals a shift from blaming militants to examining paperwork — and the people behind it.
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