Matilda Omonaiye/
A 30-year-old businessman has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged scheme in which water-filled jerry cans were used to manipulate industrial weighing equipment and steal vegetable oil worth more than N30.8 million from an Enugu-based company.
The suspect, Onwughalu Chikodi Godwin, was arrested by operatives of the EFCC’s Enugu Zonal Directorate following allegations that he masterminded a sophisticated fraud targeting Bro-kenn Agro Allied Industries, a company involved in the refining and processing of vegetable oil.
According to the anti-graft agency, Godwin, described as a major customer of the company, allegedly conspired with other suspects who are currently at large to siphon large quantities of vegetable oil from the factory between January 2024 and May 2025.
Investigators said the alleged fraud revolved around the manipulation of the company’s weighbridge system, a critical mechanism used to determine the quantity of oil loaded onto vehicles.
Counsel to the company, Dr Mazi Udegbulem, alleged that the suspect exploited the weighing process by bringing vehicles loaded with jerry cans, some of which had been secretly filled with water before entering the factory.
Under the company’s operating procedure, vehicles arriving to collect paid-for oil are first weighed at the entrance. After loading, they are weighed again, with the difference between the two measurements determining the quantity of oil supplied.
According to Udegbulem, the suspect and his alleged accomplices took advantage of this system by using water as a substitute weight.
He alleged that the water-filled containers enabled the suspects to create a false baseline weight before loading. Once inside the premises, the water was allegedly emptied and replaced with vegetable oil, allowing significantly more oil to be taken from the factory without detection.
“The practice in the company is that, if a vehicle is coming in to lift oil which has been paid for by a customer, it must be inspected at the entrance of the company and weight determined at the weighbridge,” Udegbulem said.
He explained that the weight difference between the vehicle before and after loading determines the quantity of oil supplied and forms the basis for billing.
The alleged operation unravelled in May 2025 after company officials reportedly became suspicious of recurring discrepancies and placed the facility on heightened alert.
According to the company, Godwin returned to the refinery a month later in a Toyota Sienna bus carrying 115 jerry cans.
Investigators alleged that while he had paid for only one tonne of vegetable oil, enough to fill 63 eighteen-litre containers, he arrived with 115 jerry cans.
The company claimed that 40 of the containers had been pre-filled with water.
“By coming with 115 gallons, Godwin was aware that 115 gallons would be too much for the one ton of oil which he paid for, but he put in the extra gallons because he already had a plan to steal oil from the factory,” Udegbulem alleged.
According to him, company officials inspected the vehicle before loading and discovered the water-filled containers.
He said the difference between the vehicle’s weight before and after the water was removed amounted to 960 kilogrammes, which investigators believe represented the quantity of oil allegedly intended to be stolen during that trip.
At the prevailing market rate, the company estimated the value of the alleged excess oil at N2.496 million per trip.
Investigators believe the same method may have been used repeatedly over a 17-month period, resulting in cumulative losses estimated at N30.853 million.
The EFCC said preliminary findings indicate that the suspect and his alleged accomplices first gained the confidence of the company as regular customers before exploiting that trust to execute the scheme.
The anti-corruption agency said investigations are ongoing and that the suspect will be charged in court upon their conclusion.
Click on link to join our WhatsApp channel:
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaH43zJGJP88wNggvZ16
0Related posts:
Lagos under Fire over Water Bill …Huffington Post Attacks Govt Policy
Dangote Donates N.3Billion Business School to University of Ibadan …Out to Raise Entrepreneurs for Nation Building
World Water Day: Guinness Nigeria Commissions Boreholes in Cross River
Police Probe ‘Human Waste’ Found in Coca-Cola Cans
FG Presents Buhari’s Scorecard
Breaking: FG Lists Benefits of Border Closure, Says Smuggled Goods Worth N1.4B Seized