EFCC Arraigns 12 Expatriates, 10 Nigerians

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday at Federal High Court, Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, arraigned 22 persons suspected to be oil thieves.
The suspects who include 10 Indians,10 Nigerians and two Ghanaians, were arrested in two separate vessels, MT Eve and AKSHAY along Akassa river in Brass Local Government of the state by officials of the Nigerian Navy on November 19 and 25 ,2012, respectively..
The court, presided over by Justice Charles Archibong, was told by the prosecution that the accused persons allegedly conspired among themselves to commit felony by illegally dealing in petroleum products and thereby committed a punishable  offence under  Section 3(6)of the Miscellaneous offenses Act CAP M17 as a mended.
The 10 Nigerians were also accused of possessing illegally 75,000 liters of products suspected to be Automotive Gas online Oil(AGO) which they illegally tapped from a barge into MT Eve with registration number IMO -5054642 ,thereby committing a punishable offence.
The 10 Indians and two Ghanaians , the court was further told were found with 157,822 liters of petroleum product suspected to be crude oil illegal tapped from Auntie the Matriach Julie Rig belonging to Conoil Nigeria Plc into MT AKSHAY ,there by committing an offense contrary to Section 1(17)(a) of the Miscellanous Offences Act CAP M17 of the revised edition of laws of Nigeria.
All the suspects pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge read to them.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Archibong, thereafter requested that the prosecuting counsel ,Gabriel Edobor,  furnish the court with the status of the accused persons by February 19 ,stressing that this would determine if they could be considered for bail.
However, the defence counsel, Femi Adegbite and Richard Ogbodo, had earlier argued that the sailors were in a legitimate business on Nigeria waterways when they were arrested, and therefore entitled to bail.
The suspects are currently being detained at the Federal Prisons,Ahoada, Rivers State.