Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, has convicted and sentenced four persons to two years in prison, over their involvement in illegal oil bunkering activities in the state.
The presiding judge, Justice A. T Mohammed, sentenced the trio of Abdullahi Yahaya, Suleiman Hassan, and Salisu Abubakar to two years imprisonment each and, handed a fine of N500,000 to one Monday Major for illegal dealing in petroleum products.
The convicts were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Port Harcourt Zonal Office, on one-count separate charge, bordering on illegal dealing in petroleum products, contrary to Section 4(1) of the Petroleum Act, Cap P10 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, and punishable under Section 4(6) of the same Act.
According to EFCC Acting Head, Media and Publicity, Mr. Tony Orilade, the trio of Yahaya, Hassan and Abubakar, met their waterloo when they were intercepted operatives of the Nigerian Army, Six Division, Port Harcourt in June 2019 at Aluu, while distributing Automotive Gasoline Oil (diesel) using a Daf tanker with registration number FST12XB, without license.
Orilade explained that Mr. Monday Major, on the other hand, was intercepted by men of the Nigerian Army, while distributing diesel with a Mack tanker with registration number XP711PHC, without a requisite license.
The one-count charge reads, “That you Abdullahi Yahaya, Suleiman Hassan and Salisu Abubakar, sometime in June, 2019, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, within the jurisdiction of this honorable court did distribute petroleum product (AGO) with Daf Tanker with registration number FST12XB, without 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.”
For Monday Major, his charge reads, “That you Monday Mayor, on or about June, 2018, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did distribute petroleum product (AGO) with Mack tanker XP711PHC, without 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 all pleaded guilty when the charges were read to them. In view of their pleas, the Prosecuting Counsel, Bar. S. Chime, prayed the court to convict and sentence them accordingly, while the defence counsels did not oppose the prayers of the prosecution.
Justice Mohammed, accordingly, convicted and sentenced Yahaya, Hassan and Abubakar to two years imprisonment with an option of fine of N50,000 each, while he convicted Major and sentenced him to a fine of N500,000 only.
The Judge also ordered that the petroleum products they were caught with, be forfeited to the Federal Government.
