The convicts were arraigned before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a count charge bordering on the distribution of petroleum product without a licence.
Justice A. T Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, Rivers State has sentenced 26 fraudsters for dealing in petroleum products illegally.
The convicts were arraigned before the court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a count charge bordering on the distribution of petroleum product without a licence.
Twelve people were convicted on Friday while 14 were convicted on Thursday.
According to the commission, the 12 were arraigned before the court after they were intercepted by men and officers of the Nigerian Army, 6 Division, Port Harcourt, at different locations in Port Harcourt.
Names of the 12 convicted are Abubakar Lawal; Mustapha Babagana; Christian Nweke; Ikpaikpai Elvis; Abdullahi Bawa; Hamson Sadiq; John Owoicho; Elewa Roy; Areh Sunday; Nafiu Sani, Emeka Michael and Kingsely Ihuoma.
The 14, comprising 12 individuals, one company and a vessel convicted and sentenced are Kabiru Saidu; Saleh Muhammed; Yusuf Bala; Salisu Usman; Hamisu Sha’Ibu; Aliyu Muhammed; Umar Mohammed; Muhammed Aliya; Sunday Emmanuel Udo; Mallam Garba Abubakar, Ifeanyi Duru, and Sani Haruna.
The company and the vessel are Solution Mark Nig.Ltd, and M.V. Chi-Ebubeh.
The defendants pleaded guilty to the count charge when it was read to them.
Justice Mohammed convicted and sentenced Lawal, Babagana, and Nweke to two years' imprisonment with an option of fine of N100,000.00 each while Elvis; Bawa; Sadiq; Owoicho; Roy; Sunday; Sani, Michael, and Ihuoma were sentenced to a fine of 100.000 each, respectively.
The judge also ordered that the products conveyed in the various trucks be forfeited to the federal government.
The second set of convicts were arraigned on Thursday, August 8, 2019, by the EFCC, Port Harcourt’s Zonal Office, on one-count separate charge bordering on illegal dealing in petroleum products.
The count charge read: "That you Kabiru Saidu, sometimes in 2017 at Abuloma, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did distribute Petroleum Product (AGO) conveyed in a Truck with registration number XL 985 KRD and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 4(1) of the Petroleum Act, Cap P10 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004 and punishable under Section 4(6) of the same Act."
The defendants pleaded guilty when the charge was read to them.
Justice Mohammed convicted and sentenced the defendants to a fine of N100,000 each, while Solution Mark Nig. Ltd and M.V. Chi-Ebubeh were sentenced to a fine of N500,000 each for illegal dealing in petroleum products.
Also, the judge ordered that the products carried by the trucks and vessel should be forfeited to the federal government.