Ten criminals in Warri, Delta State, have been convicted and sentenced to prison for illegally dealing in petroleum products.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said in a statement posted on its X account on Friday that Justice H. A. Nganjiwa of the Federal High Court in Warri, Delta State, delivered the sentences.
The convicts are James Terry, Gift Godfrey, Obidi Obi, Anthony Edekobi, and Victor Sule.
The others are Jubril Abubakar, Auwal Aliyu, Nnaemeka Nwobodo, Victor Edem, and Sunday Eyere.
The Benin Zonal Directorate of the EFCC arraigned the convicts on a one-count charge of criminal conspiracy and illegal dealing in petroleum products.
The statement read, “The charge against Victor Edem Udo reads, ‘That you, Victor Edem Udo (m), on or about the 8th day of August 2026, at Koko, Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, did deal in petroleum products, automotive gas oil, which is not of the quality expected of the product, and thereby committed an offense contrary to and punishable under Section 1(18)(a)(ii) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap. M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Revised Edition), 2004.’
“Upon arraignment, all the defendants pleaded guilty to their charges, prompting the prosecution counsel, Francis Jirbo, to pray the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.
“Justice Nganjiwa convicted and sentenced James Terry and Gift Ezewu Godfrey to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of N300,000. Obidi Peter Obi, Victor Ataria Sule, Jubril Abubakar, Auwal Aliyu, Nnaemeka Nwobodo, and Victor Edem were sentenced to three years’ imprisonment each or a fine of N300,000 each.”
The EFCC stated that Eyere received a sentence of three years in prison or a fine of N400,000, whereas Edekobi was given three years’ imprisonment or a fine of N350,000.
“The convicts’ road to the correctional center began following their arrest based on intelligence from the Office of the National Security Adviser about their suspicious activities in Koko, Delta State. They were thereafter prosecuted and convicted,” the statement added.
Dealing in substandard or adulterated petroleum products is a criminal offense under the Miscellaneous Offences Act, punishable by prosecution by agencies such as the EFCC as well as by imprisonment or fines.
