Nine Bag 42 Years Imprisonment Each for Illegal Oil Bunkering

The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has convicted and sentenced seven illegal oil dealers, their vessel MT Good Success as well as their company Hepa Global Energy Limited to 42 years of imprisonment each.
Justice O.E Abang, at the ruling on Friday, convicted Adedamola Ogungbayi, Olaniran Olabode, Surajo Gasali, Moses Emmanuel, Wilson Bonsi, Okaparaodi Omaka Uche, Onyeogo Happy, MT Good Success and Hepa Global Energy Limited.
The convicts were first arraigned before Justice Saliu Saídu on June 16, 2014 but were later re-arraigned 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.
According to the Head, Media & Publicity, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, the convicts were arrested by officers of the Nigerian Navy on the February 19, 2014 along the Lagos waters.

“It was discovered at the point of arrest that they had 1,495 metric tonnes of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) on board the vessel,” Uwujaren said. He said the vessel and those onboard were then handed over to EFCC for further investigation and prosecution.
The convicts, he stated, upon arraignment, pleaded not guilty to the charge level against them, and in the course of the trial the EFCC presented eleven witnesses while the defence called only five witnesses.
After prosecution by the EFCC, Justice Abang found nine of the accused persons guilty on all the counts. He sentenced each of the accused persons to ten years imprisonment each on counts 1- 4 and two years on count five.
The sentences are to run concurrently but the 8th accused person was discharged and acquitted. In sentencing the convicts, Justice Abang described them as lawless members of the society and expressed hope that the sentence would serve as deterrent to others.
Aside the prison term, Abang ordered that the vessel, the product onboard (1,495 metric tonnes of PMS) and various amount of money including N68,000,000, £250,000, $975,000 - domiciled at FCMB in the name of the second accused person be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.