US yet to give Buhari oil thieves’ list

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.