Rivers Court Jails Five Oil Thieves, Gives Fine Options

FIVE oil thieves have been convicted and sentenced to various terms of imprisonment in separate judgments by the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

While Justice Phoebe Ayuba convicted and sentenced Peter Listen and Monday Nwibe to six months’ imprisonment each, and Okechukwu Nwosu to two years’ imprisonment, Justice A.T. Muhammed convicted and sentenced Dahiru Danborno and Sani Haruna to two years’ imprisonment each.

The Head of Media and Publicity, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Wilson Uwajaren, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

Uwajaren said the convicts’ journey to a custodial centre began when they were arrested by the anti-bunkering team of the 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for illegal dealing in petroleum products.

They were later handed over to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution.

The statement said the five convicts were jailed after pleading ‘guilty’ to a separate one-count charge bordering on illegal dealing in petroleum products upon their arraignment by the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the agency.

One of the charges read, “That you, Peter Listen and Monday Nwibe, on or about January 18, 2020, along the Port Harcourt/Eket Road, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, dealt in petroleum products, to wit: Automotive Gas Oil contained in 12 jerrycans conveyed in a Volkswagen Jetta car with number plate, RGM 787 AA, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 1 (18) (a)(ii) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap. M17 of the Revised Edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) Act, 2007.”

Justice Ayuba convicted and sentenced Listen and Nwibe to six months’ imprisonment each with a fine option of N50,000, and Nwosu to two years’ imprisonment, with a fine option of N15,000 only.

Also, Justice Muhammed convicted and sentenced Danborno and Haruna to two years’ imprisonment each, with separate fine options.

Danborno was given an option of N500,000 fine, while Haruna was given an option of N200,000 fine.