Justice A. T Mohammed of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has convicted and sentenced 26 (twenty-six) fraudsters for illegal dealing in petroleum products. The convicts, comprising 24 individuals, one company and a vessel were slammed with various jail terms.
They were prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Port Harcourt’s Zonal Office.
12 of the convicts got their jail terms on Friday, August 9, 2019. They are Abubakar Lawal; Mustapha Babagana; Christian Nweke; Ikpaikpai Elvis; Abdullahi Bawa; Hamson Sadiq; John Owoicho; Elewa Roy; Areh Sunday; Nafiu Sani, Emeka Michael and Kingsley Ihuoma.
The rest 14, comprising 12 individuals, one company and a vessel were convicted and sentenced on Thursday, August 8, 2019 and they are: Kabiru Saidu; Saleh Muhammed; Yusuf Bala; Salisu Usman; Hamisu Sha’Ibu; Aliyu Muhammed; Umar Mohammed; Muhammed Aliya; Sunday Emmanuel Udo; Mallam Garba Abubakar, Ifeanyi Duru and Sani Haruna. The company and the vessel are Solution Mark Nig.Ltd, and M.V. Chi-Ebubeh.
The first set of convicts, 12 of them, were arraigned on Friday, August 9, 2019, by the EFCC, Port Harcourt’s Zonal Office, on one-count separate charge bordering on illegal dealing in petroleum products.
The count charges read: “That you Abubakar Lawal sometimes in April, 2018, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did distribute petroleum product (Automotive Gas Oil) with Daf with registration number AKD 893 XG without a licence and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 4(1) of the Petroleum Act, Cap P10 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004 and punishable under Section 4(6) of the same Act”.
The defendants pleaded guilty to the count charge when it was read to them.
Given their pleas, prosecuting counsels Samuel Chime; M. T Iko; E. Abbiyesku; F. O Amama; Celestina Okorie and K. W Chukwuma-Eneh prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly.