Justice A.T. Mohammed of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has convicted and sentenced four oil thieves to different jail terms.
The convicts are: Ibrahim Mohammed; Abubakar Saidu, Magaji Inuwa and Godswill Goodluck Ahukanna. They were all convicted on Thursday August 5, 2021 on one- count separate charge for illegal dealing in petroleum products preferred against them by the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
One of the separate count-charge against reads in part:”That you Ibrahim Mohammed on about the 16th May, 2018, at Okirika, Okirika LGA, Rivers State, did deal in petroleum product, about 30,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) conveyed in an Iveco Tanker marked Kano KMC 82 ZJ without an appropriate licence and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(17)(a) & (b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, CAP M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria and punishable under Section 1(17)(b) of the same Act”.
Another separate count read in part: “That you Godswill Goodluck Ahukanna on or about the 31st day of October 2019 at Onne, Port Harcourt, did deal in petroleum product to wit: 800 litres of Automotive Gas Oil contained and conveyed in four (4) drums which is not the quality for Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (18) (a) (ii) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act CAP M17 of the Revised Edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) 2007 and punishable under Section 1 (18)(a)(ii) of the Act”
When the charge was read to the defendants, they pleaded “guilty” to the offence preferred against them. The prosecuting EFCC lawyers : I. Agu, E. K. Ebipade and K. W. Chukwuma, urged the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
The defence lawyers, A. M. Eyam, O. M. Ofordile, M. M. Suleiman and E. H. Eboh did not oppose the prosecution. They , however, urged the court to temper justice with mercy.
Justice Mohammed thereafter convicted and sentenced Mohammed to two years imprisonment, with an option of fine of N300, 000.00 to be paid into the Federal Government Account.
The judge also ordered that the product conveyed in the Iveco truck tanker marked KANO KMC82 ZJ be sounded and sold by the court while the EFCC should pay the proceeds into the Consolidated Revenue Account of the Federation. He further released the Iveco tanker marked Kano KMC82 ZJ to the owner.
The judge also convicted and sentenced Ahukanna to two years imprisonment with an option of fine of N150, 000.00. He also ordered that the product conveyed in a bus marked RSH 914 AE be sold by the court while the EFCC should pay the proceeds into the Consolidated Revenue Account of the Federation. The judge also released the Ford bus marked RSH 914 AE to the owner.
In the case of Saidu and Inuwa, the judge convicted and sentenced them to one year in prison, with an option of fine of N200,000. He also ordered the release of trucks marked BRR 53 XA and MKA 247 ZB to their owners.
The judge further directed the convicts to sign an undertaking of good behaviour before the court.
The convicts were arrested in 2018 and 2019 by the Anti- Illegal Bunkering Patrol Team of 6 Division, Nigerian Army, at different locations in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with different vehicles and trucks loaded with products suspected to be Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).
They were thereafter handed over to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution.
