EFCC arraigns naval officer, 4 others over alleged oil theft

The Economic Financial and Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday arraigned a female naval officer and four others over alleged oil theft.

The officer, Mrs. Bola Labinjo with service name as Lt.-Cdr S. A. Ibe Lambert, was charged before a Federal High Court in Lagos. She is standing trial alongside Jonathan Abuka, Ikemefuna Agaba, Benjamin Gold and Hamzat Yakubu.

The defendants and a vessel, MT Hadeline Jumbo are facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and unlawful dealing in petroleum product. The defendants however, pleaded not guilty before Justice Chuka Obiozor.

The EFCC alleged that the defendants, sometime in August 2018 at the Gulf of Guinea and off the Coast of Gabon, conspired to illegally deal in Nigeria’s automated gasoline oil.

The EFCC counsel, Stephen Odiase, told the court that the defendants were arrested on August 13, 2018, by the men of Nigeria Navy on the Gulf of Guinea along with the vessel loaded with the petroleum product without appropriate licence.

He told the court that the offences contravene Sections 3(6) and 1 (19) (a) and (b) the Miscellaneous Offence Act (Revised Edition), 2004. The counsel further noted that the offences were punishable under Sections 1(17) (b) of the same Act.

Counsel to the first to fifth defendants urged the court to admit them to bail in liberal terms since they had been in detention since 2018.

However, the prosecution urged the court to deny the defendants bail on grounds that the alleged offences constituted economic sabotage which affected the country negatively.

In a ruling, Justice Obiozor said he was inclined to grant the defendants’ applications due to the averments in their applications, most especially since they have been in detention since August, 2018.

Consequently, the judge admitted them to bail in the sum of N10 million each with one surety in like sum.

The judge also ordered that the surety must produce three years’ tax clearance certificate, means of livelihood, bank statement of accounts, title of landed property and two passport photographs.

He said all the bail conditions were to be verified by the court’s deputy chief registrar.

However, counsel to the sixth defendant (vessel), P. Amara asked the court for adjournment to enable him to file his application, arguing that he had just been given the charge sheet.

The court adjourned the case until August 8 for hearing of the application.