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.
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