Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos
yesterday convicted seven men to 84 years imprisonment for illegal and unlawful
dealing in 1,459 metric tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called
petrol.
The court sentenced each of the convicts to a jail term of 12
years each commencing Friday after the Judge found them guilty of the
five count charge preferred against them.
The
convicts are; Adedamola Ogungbayi; Olaniran Olabode; Suraju Gasali; Moses
Emmanuel; Wilson Bonsi; Okaraodi Uche and Onyeogo Happy. Apart from the
jail term, Justice Abang also ordered the forfeiture of the vessel, ‘MT
Good Success’, used by the convicts in stealing the said petroleum product, as
well as the recovered petroleum product to the Federal Government.
The
judge also ordered the forfeiture of the sums of N66.6m and $975,000 belonging
to the convicts’ company, Hepa Global Energy Limited, domiciled with the First
City Monument Bank to the Federal Government. To ensure a compliance to
his judgement, Abang ordered the filing of an affidavit of compliance with the
order within 21 days of the judgement.
The
convicts, were arraigned alongside their vessel and company on August 28, 2014
on five counts alongside one Padoun Jacob, who was discharged and acquitted by
the court. The judge, in setting Jacob free on all the five counts,
described him as a desperate job seeker, who became a victim of circumstances.
The
judge noted that the stolen petroleum product had been loaded before
Jacob was employed by Hepa Global Energy Limited on February 7, 2014.
-Vanguard
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