By Mohammed Isah
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has commissioned a Chemical Forensics Laboratory in its Port Harcourt Directorate, Rivers State to enhance and fast-rack its oil and gas investigations and strengthen its Extractive Industry Fraud Section.
The Laboratory, which took two years to build, would enable the EFCC to conduct comprehensive analysis of petroleum products and crude oil samples for investigative and prosecutorial activities .
Olukoyede described the project as a significant milestone in the history of the Commission in its journey towards advancing transparency and accountability in the oil and gas sector.
“We celebrate a significant milestone in the Commission’s journey towards advancing transparency and accountability in the oil and gas sector”, he said.
He explained that the Commission, over the years, was relying on external agencies like the Nigeria National Petroleum Company, NNPC and Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, for its product and sample analyses which often caused delays in critical oil and gas-related investigations.