Oil thieves jailed for 84 yrs

Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday

convicted seven men to 84 years imprisonment for illegal and

unlawful dealing in 1,459 metric tonnes of petrol. The court

sentenced each of the convicts to a jail term of 12 years

each starting Friday after they were all found 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 which belonged to the convicts’ company, Hepa Global

Energy Limited, domiciled with the First City Monument Bank to the

Federal Government.

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.

Vanguard