The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has brought a vessel, MT Ostria, and three individuals before a Lagos court for allegedly stealing over 25 million litres of petrol belonging to NNPC Retail Limited. The suspects — Captain Raymundo A. Panaligam, Chief Officer Roneno Villarin, and Vincent Wayas — appeared before Justice Mojisola Dada at the Special Offences Court in Ikeja on Wednesday.
According to the EFCC, the accused persons conspired to illegally take huge quantities of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) between January 2024 in Lagos. They face a four-count charge including conspiracy and theft, as stated under the Criminal Law of Lagos State. The court documents claim the group unlawfully took 25,354,000 litres of petrol belonging to the national oil company.
The breakdown of the charges shows that the men allegedly stole 13,354,000 litres on one occasion, and on January 17, 2024, they reportedly took an additional nine million litres and three million litres of PMS, all belonging to NNPC Retail. When the charges were read, the vessel and all the accused individuals pleaded not guilty.
After the plea, EFCC prosecutor Bilikisu Buhari urged the court to remand the defendants, arguing that they could flee if granted freedom. However, defence lawyers reminded the court that applications for bail had already been filed and begged that the men remain under the EFCC’s existing administrative bail terms.
Justice Mojisola Dada ruled that the defendants should continue on their previous bail arrangements and adjourned the matter. The trial will continue on November 17 and 27, 2025, where evidence will be presented to determine the next steps in the case.
