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Oil Theft: Court Jails Captain 1 Year, Forfeits Vessel To Federal Govt
Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted and sentenced a vessel Captain, Omosehin Ipinle to one-year imprisonment for illegal oil bunkering.
Justice Nicholas Oweibo also ordered that the vessel used in stealing the petroleum product, MV D’ Dove be forfeited with the stolen 120 metric tonnes of Automotive Gas Oil, popularly called Diesel to the Federal Government.
The judge sent Captain Ipinle to jail after he changed his earlier not guilty plea to guilty.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned the convict and the forfeited vessel alongside one Nsikak Friday before the court on allegations of conspiracy, unlawful dealing and unlawful storage of 120 metric tonnes of AGO
The EFCC lawyer, Mohammed Abass had insisted that the offences are contrary to sections 3(6), 1(17) and of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M 17, Law the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and punishable under Section 1(17) the same Act.
Abass has also maintained that the offences violated Section 4 of the Petroleum Act Cap P10, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
They had initially pleaded not guilty to the charge and the court admitted to bail.
However, during the course of their trial, the third defendant, Nsikak Friday, jumped bail and never showed up in court again for his trial.
When the case was called yesterday, the convict changed his plea following a plea bargain agreement with the anti-graft agency.
The terms of the plea bargain as agreed by both parties are as follows: “the defendants shall plead “guilty” to the offences with which they are arraigned, the first defendant (MV D’ DOVE 1) and its content (120 MT of petroleum product) to be forfeited to the Federal Republic of Nigeria upon conviction by this Honourable Court.
