Operatives of the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested a 30-year-old businessman, Onwughalu Chikodi Godwin, over the alleged theft of vegetable oil valued at N30.85 million from Bro-kenn Agro Allied Industries.
Key Highlights:
- Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arrested businessman Onwughalu Chikodi Godwin in Enugu.
- He allegedly stole vegetable oil worth ₦30.85 million.
- The suspect reportedly manipulated the company’s weighbridge system.
- Water-filled jerry cans were allegedly used to aid the scheme.
- EFCC says investigations are ongoing
The anti-graft agency disclosed on Tuesday that Godwin, said to be a major customer of the company, was apprehended following allegations that he conspired with other suspects still at large to defraud the firm between January 9, 2024, and May 26, 2025.
According to the company, which is engaged in the refining and processing of vegetable oil, the suspect allegedly manipulated its weighbridge system to siphon large quantities of oil from the factory without detection.
Counsel to the company, Dr. Mazi Udegbulem, alleged that Godwin and his accomplices devised a scheme involving the use of jerry cans filled with water to distort weighbridge readings.
He explained that vehicles entering the factory to lift purchased oil are first weighed at the entrance before loading. After loading, the vehicles are weighed again, with the difference determining the quantity of oil supplied.
“The suspect and his cohorts fraudulently manipulated the refinery’s weighbridge system by filling jerry cans with water to influence weighbridge readings, draining the water within the refinery premises and subsequently replacing it with stolen vegetable oil,” Udegbulem said.
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He further alleged that the company became suspicious of the scheme in May 2025 and heightened surveillance around its operations.
According to him, the breakthrough came when Godwin reportedly arrived at the factory with a Sienna bus carrying 115 empty jerry cans, 40 of which had been filled with water. He had allegedly paid for only one tonne of vegetable oil, which could fill about 63 jerry cans of 18 litres each.
“By coming with 115 gallons, Godwin knew that the containers far exceeded the quantity required for the one tonne of oil he paid for. The extra containers were allegedly intended for conveying stolen oil,” he said.
Udegbulem said the company’s heightened vigilance led to the discovery of the water-filled containers during an inspection.
“Because the company was already on red alert, the vehicle was thoroughly checked and the 40 gallons were found to contain water. The difference between the initial weight of the vehicle with the water-filled containers and the subsequent weight after the water was removed was 960 kilogrammes, which was the exact quantity allegedly intended to be fraudulently obtained,” he stated.
He added that the market value of 960 kilogrammes of vegetable oil at the time was about N2.496 million, which represented the estimated loss incurred by the company on each trip allegedly made by the suspect during the period under review.
The EFCC said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect and his accomplices allegedly gained the trust and confidence of the company before exploiting it to perpetrate the fraud.
The commission added that investigations are ongoing and that the suspect would be charged to court upon conclusion of the probe.
