The United States has yet to give the
list of oil thieves to President Muhammadu Buhari, findings by our
correspondents have shown.
Saturday PUNCH learnt on Friday that during Buhari’s visit to Washington in July, 2015, the United States did not give any list.
Sources at the US embassy said they were
not aware of any exchange of documents between American officials and
the President during the visit.
If there was such a list, a source said, it was not given to Buhari during the visit.
The source said, “Though President Buhari
engaged in discussions on various issues with the US President Barack
Obama, there was no exchange of documents between them.”
When contacted, the US embassy in Abuja
declined comment on the issue. The Press Attaché, Sean McIntosh, said he
had no comment on the issue. There had been media report that the US
government had given Buhari two separate lists containing the names of
corrupt Nigerians and crude oil thieves, adding that the President was
taken aback when he saw the list.
The list was said to contain the names of
top government officials who have been stealing the country’s oil,
using their high offices to perpetrate the stealing and the other
containing the names of illegal oil bunkerers.
The report further stated that the list
given to the President by the US might compel him to probe the
administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
But the Special Adviser to the President
on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, denied knowledge of any list
of corrupt Nigerians reportedly handed over to Buhari during his visit
to the US.
He said he would not be able to make further comment on the matter since he was not aware of the list.
“I have no knowledge of the list you are
talking about so I can neither confirm its authenticity nor those listed
therein,” he said.
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