Justice I.M Sani of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Thursday sentenced one Gloria Monday to two years imprisonment for dealing in petroleum products without a licence.
Monday was arraigned same day by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and pleaded guilty to one count charge of dealing in petroleum products without a licence.
According to the EFCC, the offence contravened Section 4(1) of the Petroleum Act CAP P10 of the Revised Edition (Laws of the Federation of Nigeria) 2007 and punishable under Section 4(6) of the same Act.
Consequently, the prosecution counsel, D.N. Nkwap, called a witness, Kayode Adesanoye, an operative of the EFCC.
Adesanoye told the court that the defendant and a vehicle, loaded with 200 litres of petroleum product stored in
polythene bags, were handed over to the Commission on January 31, 2020, by 6 Division Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt.
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Adesanoye said samples of the product were taken to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) for analysis and the result indicated adulterated Automotive Gas Oil (AGO). He further disclosed that the defendant, in her statement, said that she bought the product from Ogu Market in River State before her arrest along Port Harcourt-Eket way.
Nkwap therefore tendered some documents which were admitted in evidence as Exhibit a,b,c,d,e,f,g (1) (2) by
the court and prayed that the court convict the defendant.
Justice Sani found the defendant guilty, convicted and ultimately sentenced her to six (6) months imprisonment with an option of fine, and ordered that the product be forfeited to the Federal Government.