Lawmaker wants culprits in fraudulent reallocation of Bayelsa oil field prosecuted

Yettiemone Agbedi, lawmaker representing Sagbama/Ekeremore federal constituency of Bayelsa State said the perpetrators of the fraudulent reallocation of the Atala maginal field, managed by the Bayelsa oil company should be prosecuted.

Agbedi who made the call while briefing journalists on the need to implement the resolution of senate on Atala maginal field, also commended President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Diri Duoye of Bayelsa and the National Assembly for the restoration of field.

He explained that the Atala marginal field was allocated to Bayelsa state government and was managed by Bayelsa oil company but sometime in 2021, it was reallocated to another company.

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“Bayelsa and the Ijaw nation and my federal constituency rose in protest against it. Mr President sometime ago also ordered that 10 of such marginal fields that were allocated to the states, should be returned back to the states,” Agbedi said.

“Nine were returned. Only Bayelsa Atala farms was not returned and this was what caused the Bayelsa government, the Bayelsa oil company and our investors to petition to the Senate committee on petition and ethics. Even within the hearing period, Mr President further ordered that these blocs be returned to Bayelsa State government, the owners of the oil bloc.”

The lawmaker said, the president’s order was not obeyed until the Senate found that all the issues canvassed as to purchase, sales, and ownership by the new company, Akins petroleum was fraudulent.

“So the Senate resolved that the oil bloc should be restored back to Bayelsa state government which is almost a last bus stop because from the executive arm of government, it has gone to tbe legislature, the legislature has also affirmed that this oil bloc should be restored to Bayelsa. No stumbling block should be found again in the course of restoring this oil bloc,” he said.

“If the Senate found that the narrative for which Akin or whichever partner claimed that the oil blocs belonged to them were fraudulent, then of course for us to strengthen our institutions, we need to hand over such individuals or organisations to the anti corruption and law enforcement agencies so that criminal investigation would be conducted and then where culprits are identified, they should be prosecuted.”