Justice
O.E Abang of the Federal High Court Lagos today October 30,2015
convicted and sentenced seven illegal oil dealers, their vessel MT Good
Success as well as the their company Hepa Global Energy Limited to
forty two years imprisonment each.
The
convicts are Adedamola Ogungbayi, Olaniran Olabode, Surajo Gasali,
Moses Emmanuel, Wilson Bonsi, Okaparaodi Omaka Uche, Onyeogo Happy, MT
Good Success and Hepa Global Energy Limited.
They
were first arraigned before Justice Saliu Saídu on 16th June 2014 but
were later rearraigned before Justice O.E Abang of the same court on
28th August 2014 on five counts of illegal oil bunkering and dealing in
petroleum products without lawful authority or licence.
The
convicts were arrested by officers of the Nigerian Navy on the 19th
February, 2014 along the Lagos Waters. It was discovered at the point of
arrest that they had 1,495 metric tons of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) on
board the vessel. The vessel and those onboard were then handed over to
EFCC for further investigation and prosecution.
The
convicts upon arraignment, pleaded not guilty to the charge level
against them. In the course of the trial the EFCC presented eleven
witnesses while the defence called only five witnesses.
After
diligent prosecution by the EFCC, Justice Abang found nine of the
accused persons guilty on all the counts. Justice Abang sentenced each
of the accused persons to ten years imprisonment on counts 1- 4 and two
years on count five.
The sentences are to run councurrently.
However the 8th accused person was discharged and acquitted.
In
sentencing the convicts, Justice Abang described them as lawless
members of the society and expressed the hope that the sentence would
serve as deterrent to others.
Aside the prison
term, Justice Abang ordered that the vessel, the product onboard (1,495
metric tons of Premium Motor Spirit) and various amount of money
-N68,000,000 (Sixty Eight Million Naira), £250,000 (Two Hundred and
Fifty Thousand Pounds), $975,000 (Nine Hundred and Seventy Five Thousand
Dollars) - domiciled at FCMB in the name of the second accused person
be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria
Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity
30th October, 2015
The pictures of convicted illegal oil dealers
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