Oil theft: Court affi rms jail term for 9 foreigners

By Chizoba Ogbeche Abuja

Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, yesterday, affi rmed the judgment of a Federal High Court in Lagos which sentenced nine foreigners to fi ve years’ in prison each for oil theft in Nigeria. Th e convicts are Axel Jabone, Zahirul Islam, Juanito Infantado, Suarin Alave, Gatila Gadayan, Islam Shahinul, Islam Rafi qul, Shaikh Nomany and Rolando Comendador. Th ey were tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a four-count charge bordering on illegal dealing in petroleum products.

Th e Court of Appeal’s threeman panel, comprising Justices Hussein Mukhtar (presiding), M. L. Shuaib and Frederick Oho, dismissed the appeal, for lack of merit. A press statement by the EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, in Abuja, said Justice Oho, who delivered the judgment, resolved all the issues in favour of the commission. He said: “All the issues are resolved against the appellants. Th e appeal is manifestly unmeritorious and is hereby dismissed for lacking in merit.’’ Earlier, the EFCC’s counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, said the foreigners violated Section 1(19) (6) of the Miscellaneous Off ences Act, Cap. M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, an off ence punishable under Section 17 of the same Act. He said the convicts also fl outed Section 4 of the Petroleum Act, Cap. P10, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. Th e prosecution said the convicts were caught while trying to export the stolen product on a vessel, MT Asteris.

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