Ikeja, Lagos — The Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja on Tuesday sentenced two oil marketers, Mamman Nasir Ali and Christian Taylor, to 14 years in prison each after finding them guilty of conspiracy and fraudulently obtaining N2.2 billion under the Petroleum Support Fund scheme.
Justice Mojisola Dada, delivering the judgment, held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt. The court convicted Ali and Taylor on multiple counts, including conspiracy to obtain money by false pretences, forgery, and using falsified documents.
The judge noted that their actions defrauded the Federal Government and eroded public confidence in the fuel subsidy programme.
The duo were arraigned alongside their company, Nasaman Oil Services Limited, on 57 amended counts. The charges followed fresh findings during an EFCC investigation. They were initially arraigned on 49 counts before the case was reassigned to Justice Dada from Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo.
The EFCC told the court that on November 9, 2011, the defendants fraudulently obtained N749,991,273.36 by falsely claiming it was subsidy payment for importing over 10 million litres of petrol from SEATAC Petroleum Ltd of the British Virgin Islands. They made another false claim on April 11, 2011, to obtain N1.48 billion for the alleged importation of over 20 million litres of petrol.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. The prosecution, led by Mr. Seiduh Atteh, presented multiple witnesses and documentary evidence, which the court accepted.
Justice Dada sentenced the convicts to 14 years in prison each, with the terms to run concurrently. The court also ordered the forfeiture of assets and bank accounts linked to the fraud.
Additionally, a bench warrant was issued for the arrest of two others still at large: Oluwaseun Ogunbambo and Olabisi Abdul-Afeez.
Follow News Review on Facebook and X
