EFCC Charges Edo APC Chieftain, 3 Others with Theft
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a businessman and three others on charges of conspiracy, stealing and receiving of stolen goods.
The accused are a businessman, reportedly, a leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo Central senatorial zone, Chief Francis Inegbeneki; Chief Executive Officer of Omo-Jay Nigeria Limited, Mr Jerome Itepu; Omo-Jay Nigeria Limited and Ine Oil Limited, owned by Inegbeneki.
The suit, numbered A/ EFCC/1c/2015, yet to be assigned to a trial judge, was filed in the High Court, Asaba, Delta State, on March 24, 2015, by A.J. Arogha, Esq. and U.R. Ewoh, Esq. on behalf of the EFCC Chairman. The accused were charged with “conspiracy, contrary to, and punishable under section 516 of the Criminal Code Law, CAP C21, Laws of Delta State 2006.”
The accused, sometime in 2009, at Warri, Delta State, within the jurisdiction of the court, allegedly conspired to “commit felony, to wit: stealing and, thereby, committed an offence.” They were alleged to have committed the offence of stealing, contrary to section 383 of the Criminal Code Law, CAP C21, Laws of Delta State 2006, which is punishable under section 390(4)(c) of the same law.
According to the particulars of the offence, they allegedly stole about 12,000 metric tonnes of crude oil loaded in a vessel, MT Akuada a.k.a. MT Kua, valued at N384 million in 2009, being property of the Federal Government of Nigeria. The third count indicated that the accused also allegedly stole about 4,000 metric tonnes of crude oil, loaded in a vessel, MT Hope, valued at N128 million, being property of the Federal Government.
Inegbeneki, the second accused in the charge sheet, was also charged with allegedly receiving stolen goods contrary to, and punishable under section 427 of the Criminal Code Law, CAP C21, Laws of Delta State 2006, having allegedly received from one Jerome Itepu (first accused) and Omo-Jay (third accused), about 12,000 metric tonnes of crude oil, knowing same to have been stolen.
