Justice I.M Sami of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, has sentenced two oil thieves to one year imprisonment each for illegal dealing in petroleum products.
The convicts, Friday David and Ikechukwu Utobo, were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on August 18, 2020, on a one-count separate charges.
One of the charges read: “That you Ikechukwu Utobo being the driver on board Mark Tanker with registration number KPR 667 XA on or about the 3rd of March , 2020 at Iwofe, Port Harcourt within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, without appropriate licence, deal in petroleum product to wit: illegally refined Premium Motor Spirit/Automotive Gas Oil and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) (a) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17 of the Revised Edition (Laws of the Federal of Nigeria), 2007 and punishable under Section 1 917) of the same Act.”
The convicts pleaded guilty to their separate charges.
In view of their plea, prosecution counsel, M.T. Iko, called a witness, Assistant Detective Inspector Isaac Kazzar, a staff of the commission, to review the facts of the case and tender exhibits.
Iko urged the court to convict and sentence the defendants as charged.
Justice Sani convicted and sentenced David and Utobo to one year imprisonment with an option of fine of N400,000 each.
He also ordered that the product on board the trucks be sold by the Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court and the proceeds paid into the Treasury Single Account (TSA).