Court acquits Diezani’s ally of $1.6bn fraud

Jide Omokore, the chairman of Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria Limited, was accused of obtaining 7, 551, 867 barrels of crude oil (Brass blend) worth US$ 823, 075 fraudulently from the Federal Government. He was discharged and found not guilty by the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Omokore, a supporter of former petroleum minister Diezani Alison-Madueke, was first charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in 2016.

He was charged with fraud on 15 counts, along with Victor Briggs, Abiye Membere, and David Mbanefo.

The trio was charged before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba with fraudulently diverting $1.6 billion in revenues from sales of petroleum products that belonged to the Federal Government.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said in the charge with the charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/121/2016 that Omokore acquired barrels of crude oil from FG after he made false presentations to the NPDC and the NNPC.

That you, Olajide Jones Omokore, Atlantic Energy Brass Development Ltd, Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Ltd, and Kolawole Akanni Aluko (now at large), between May 2013 and March 2014, within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, obtained 7, 551, 867 barrels of crude oil (Brass blend) valued at US$ 823, 075, 189.95 from Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, Nigeria, it is criminal by Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, which is contrary to Section 1 (a) of that Act.