A Lagos Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja has sentenced two oil marketers, Mamman Nasir Ali and Christian Taylor, to 14 years imprisonment each for their roles in a N2.2 billion oil subsidy fraud.
Justice Mojisola Dada handed down the judgment on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, following their re-arraignment on an amended 57-count charge bordering on conspiracy to obtain money by false pretence, forgery, and the use of false documents.
The charges were brought against them alongside their company, Nasaman Oil Services Limited.
The defendants, who initially faced a 49-count charge, were dragged before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after new facts emerged during investigation.
One of the counts reads, “Nasaman Oil Services Ltd, Mamman Nasir Ali, Christian Taylor, Oluwaseun Ogunbambo (now at large) and Olabisi Abdul-Afeez (still at large), on or about the 9th day of November 2011 at Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to defraud, conspired to obtain the sum of N749,991,273.36 (Seven Hundred and Forty-Nine Million, Nine Hundred and Ninety-One Thousand, Two Hundred and Seventy-Three Naira Thirty-six Kobo) from the Federal Government of Nigeria by falsely claiming that the sum of N749,991,273.36 represented subsidy accruing to Nasaman Oil Services Ltd under the Petroleum Support Fund for the importation of 10,031,986 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), which Nasaman Oil Services Ltd purported to have purchased from SEATAC Petroleum Ltd of British Virgin Islands and imported into Nigeria through MT Liquid Fortune Ltd of British Virgin Islands and imported into Nigeria through MT Liquid Fortune Ltd Ex MT Overseas Lima, which representation you knew to be false.”
Another count reads, “Nasaman Oil Services Ltd, Mamman Nasir Ali, Christian Taylor, Oluwaseun Ogunbambo (now at large) and Olabisi Abdul-Afeez (still at large), on or about the 11th day of April 2011 at Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N1,480,074,125.61 (One Billion Four Hundred and Eighty Million, Seventy-Four Thousand, One Hundred and Twenty-Five Naira Sixty-One Kobo) from the Federal Government of Nigeria by claiming that the sum represented subsidy accruing to Nasaman Oil Services Ltd under the Petroleum Support Fund for the importation of 20,492,982.50 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), which Nasaman Oil Services Ltd purported to have purchased from SEATAC Petroleum Ltd of British Virgin Islands and imported into Nigeria through MT Liquid Fortune Ex Mt. Hellenic Blue and Ex MT. Milleura, which representation you knew to be false.”
Both convicts pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Initially, the case was being handled by Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo before it was re-assigned to Justice Dada after Onigbanjo withdrew from the matter.
Led by EFCC prosecutor Seiduh Atteh, the Commission presented several witnesses and documents, which the court admitted in evidence. Justice Dada, in her ruling, declared that the prosecution had provided compelling evidence.
She stated that the actions of the defendants “not only defrauded the government, but also undermined the integrity of Nigeria’s oil subsidy programme.”
In addition to the 14-year sentence, Justice Dada ordered the forfeiture of assets and accounts linked to the fraudulent transactions.
The court also issued a warrant of arrest for Oluwaseun Ogunbambo and Olabisi Abdul Afeez, who are currently at large.
“The convicts began their journey to the Correctional Centre when they were arrested and arraigned for obtaining the sum of N1,480,074,125.61 from the Federal Government of Nigeria by claiming that the sum represented subsidy accruing to Nasaman Oil Services Ltd under the Petroleum Support Fund for the importation of 20,492,982.50 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS). The court found them guilty, convicted and sentenced them,” the EFCC said.
