Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has convicted and sentenced five oil thieves to various jail terms for dealing in petroleum products without requisite licences.
Justices P. M. Ayuba and S. D. Pam, found Wei Ibolo, Mudashiru Toaheed, Etim Edet, Martins Savior and Tope Alani guilty and sent them to jail.
They pleaded guilty to one-count separate charge preferred against them by the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), upon their arraignment.
A statement signed by the EFCC Head, Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, said in view of their pleas the prosecution lawyers, J. N. Dogonyaro and B. C. Kadiri, prayed the court to convict and sentence them.
Lawyers to the defendants, M. M. Suleiman and B. C. Okeadaka, however, prayed the court to temper justice with mercy, insisting that, “they are first-time offenders and do not have previous criminal records”.
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Justice Ayuba convicted and sentenced Taoheed, Savior, Ibolo and Edet to two years imprisonment each, with an option of fine of N200, 000, each, payable into the Consolidated Revenue Account of the Federal Government.
Justice Pam also sentenced Alani to two years imprisonment, with an option of N200, 000, payable into the Consolidated Revenue Account of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
He also ordered that the Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) transported in a Toyota Camry car, with Registration Number Lagos NF 301KJA, be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The products, he ruled, should be sold by the Secretary of EFCC or any other person authorized by him and the proceeds paid into the EFCC Recovery Account domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the vehicle released to the owner.
Both judges ordered that the convicts should depose to affidavits of good behaviour before the court.
The convicts’ journey to prison started when they were apprehended by the Anti-Bunkering Teams of both the Nigerian Navy and Army at Akassa River in Bayelsa State and Okirika in Rivers State, for illegally dealing on petroleum products without appropriate licences.
They were arrested with a vessel laden with about 700,000 litres of crude oil loaded in MT. TIS IV around Brass Terminal Jetty in Bayelsa State, without any certification by the Nigerian Navy to operate on Nigeria waters.