The Federal High Court, Abuja, has granted N20 million bail to two truck drivers accused of vandalizing oil pipelines in Eleme, Rivers State while transporting 40,000 litres of crude oil towards Kano State.
They were arraigned before the Court on Friday, August 16, 2024, by the legal team of the Inspector General of Police in suit number FHC/ABJ/CR/365/2024.
The defendants, Ali Ngudbo Ali and Bukar Daluwa were charged with allegedly contravening the laws of the Federation of Nigeria by their actions.
Alleged theft of petroleum products
Nairametrics previously quoted the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd, saying there were 165 cases of illegal refineries between June 15 and 21, 2024.
The police have been at the centre of investigating and prosecuting crimes associated with the oil and gas sector.
In this case, the defendants were arrested by officers of the Inspector General of Police Taskforce on Petroleum and Illegal Bunkering on July 8, 2024, in Eleme, Rivers State, on the allegation of being connected with some quantity of unlicensed petroleum products.
In the suit seen by Nairametrics, Barrister Celestine Udoh, Chief Superintendent of Police, accused the defendants of conspiring to tamper with oil pipelines in Eleme, Rivers State.
Ali, Daluwa, and others are accused of conspiring to illegally deal in petroleum products without proper authorization on June 28, 2024, in Eleme, Rivers State.
Additionally, the duo is charged with unlawfully possessing petroleum products and allegedly transporting 40,000 litres of crude oil without a license on July 3, 2024, across Rigasa, Kaduna State, towards Kano.
The product was reportedly loaded in an Iveco truck belonging to them and other alleged accomplices, enroute to Kano State, for sale.
What Transpired in Court
Upon their arraignment on Friday, the detained duo pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Their lawyer asked the court to admit them to bail pending the hearing and determination of the trial.
They drew the court’s attention to the fact that the defendants had been in police custody since July 8, 2024, a period of about four weeks, and had remained in prison awaiting Friday’s arraignment.
They urged the court to grant them bail as they have sureties who can meet the bail conditions.
Ruling on the bail application, Justice Peter Lifu held that since bail is a constitutional right and drawing from the defendants’ submissions, he was inclined to grant it.
He subsequently granted the defendants N10 million each with two sureties in like sum.
He stated that one of the sureties must be a civil servant not below grade 8.
He also directed that the defendants shall report fortnightly to the police office while they are remanded pending the perfection of their bail.
The case was subsequently adjourned to October 17, 2024.
More Insights
- The apex oil agency stated that incidents of oil theft include illegal refineries, illegal connections, vandalism, oil spills, illegal storage locations, and others.
- While cases of illegal connections amounted to 69, there were 15 cases of vandalism, 8 incidents of oil spills, 19 cases of illegal storage locations, and 74 cases of vessel AIS infractions.
- The NNPC noted that these incidents were reported by different companies and security agencies across the country.
- A total of 116.46 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, worth N18.88 billion, was stolen in Nigeria in 2021, according to a source in NNPC.
