By Obinna Nwaoku

A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has convicted and sentenced five oil thieves to various jail terms in separate judgment for illegal dealings in petroleum products.

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.

A statement issued, yesterday, by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) Spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, the convicts were jailed for illegal dealing in petroleum products, adding: “The five convicts were jailed after pleading ‘guilty’ to one-count separate charge bordering on illegal dealing in petroleum products, upon their arraignment by the Port Harcourt Zonal Command of the EFCC.”

In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, C. Okorie, Bobby Kabiri and Endebba Abbiyesuku prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly.

However, defence counsel, Daminabo Davies Livingstone, Obinna Ofordili and David Ayuba prayed the court to temper justice with mercy in ruling against the defendants, stressing that they are first-time offenders.

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

Also, Justice Muhammed convicted and sentenced Danborno and Haruna to two years imprisonment each, with the option of N500, 000 and N200, 000 fines respectively.

The judges ordered that petroleum products arrested with the convicts be sold by the Deputy Registrar of the court, in conjunction with EFCC officials and the proceeds paid into the Federal Government’s Consolidated Revenue Account.

Also, all the vehicles arrested with the convicts including a Volkswagen Jetta car with Registration Number: RGM 787 AA and Mercedes Truck marked: XL 634 UWN be returned to their owners.

The convicts’ journey to prison began, when the anti-bunkering team of the 6 Division, Nigeria Army, Port Harcourt, arrested them in separate operations for illegal dealing in petroleum products and later handed them over to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution.