The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee looking into the alleged loss of $2.4 billion from the sale of 48 million barrels of crude oil was informed on Thursday by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, that the whistleblowers’ claim was unfounded and without merit.
Speaking in front of the committee, Malami stated that the government would not waste resources on investigating allegations that were made by whistleblowers in an effort to defraud the government.
He claimed that his office had filed a criminal complaint against the informants, alleging that those involved had previously tried to defraud the government.
“At various points in 2016, social media was rife with accusations and hype. There have been claims that 48 million barrels of stolen Nigerian crude, worth N2.4 billion, have been found in China. The late Abba Kyari, the attorney general, Mele Kyari, Lawal Daura, the former director general of the DSS, and President Muhammadu Buhari were all formally asked to look into it and provide advice.We informed the president that because we couldn’t verify the accuracy of the claim, my office didn’t take any further action.
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Noting that confidentiality and information protection are essential to whistleblowing, he claimed that disclosing whistleblower information at a public hearing violates the confidentiality agreement to which his office was bound for the sake of both individual safety and broader national security.
Malami received the following response from Ibrahim Isiaka, the committee’s deputy chairman: “You’re a key player on the determinants, not to influence, but to determine. That committee report that you provided to the president will still be needed.
