Ten People Convicted for Illegal Oil Dealings in Delta

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has convicted ten people for illegal oil dealings in Delta State. The court imposed fines between N300,000 and N400,000 on them.

Justice H.A. Nganjiwa of the Federal High Court in Warri announced the convictions on Friday after the defendants admitted their guilt for criminal conspiracy and illegal oil dealings.

The convicted individuals are James Terry, Gift Godfrey, Obidi Obi, Anthony Edekobi, Victor Sule, Jubril Abubakar, Auwal Aliyu, Nnaemeka Nwobodo, Victor Edem, and Sunday Eyere.

The EFCC’s Benin Zonal Directorate charged the defendants with a one-count charge.

According to the charge against Victor Udo, one of the defendants, he dealt in automotive gas oil (diesel) that did not meet the required quality. The offence reportedly happened on August 8, 2026, in Koko, Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State.

The prosecution stated that this action violated Section 1(18)(a)(ii) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

After the defendants pleaded guilty, the prosecution counsel, Francis Jirbo, urged the court to convict and sentence them accordingly. Justice Nganjiwa then sentenced Mr. Terry and Mr. Godfrey to two years in prison each, with an option to pay a fine of N300,000.

Mr. Obi, Mr. Sule, Mr. Abubakar, Mr. Aliyu, Mr. Nwobodo, and Mr. Edem received three years in prison, with an option to pay a fine of N300,000. Mr. Eyere was sentenced to three years in prison, with an option of a N400,000 fine, while Mr. Edekobi got three years in prison, with an option of a N350,000 fine.

The EFCC stated that the arrests were based on intelligence from the Office of the National Security Adviser, which flagged the defendants' questionable activities in Koko. This intelligence led to their arrest and prosecution.

These convictions are part of ongoing efforts against illegal activities in Nigeria’s oil sector. The illegal trade and distribution of petroleum products is still a big problem for the authorities.

The EFCC did not reveal the amount of petroleum products involved in this case or if the defendants have paid the fines instead of serving their prison sentences.