Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, Asaba has sentenced the duo of Helen Itemba and Aladini Johnny Money to three years imprisonment for offences bordering on conspiracy and illegal dealing in Petroleum products.
The convict who were prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, were found guilty of the two count charge preferred against them and convicted accordingly. The court sentenced them to a three-year jail term on each count with an option of three hundred thousand naira (N300, 000) fine.
The two accused persons illegally conveyed one hundred and thirty six plastic drums of petroleum products in a truck with registration number XN 789 EGU at Egbidi, Isoko Local Government Area of Delta State in 2009 without a license and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap. M17, laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2007 and punishable under section 1(17) of the same act.
Helen Itemba and Aladini Johnny Money were arrested in May, 2009 by operatives of the Delta State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), along with a truck containing one hundred and thirty six plastic drums of petroleum products driven by one John Ufo and his co-travellers: Emmanuel Itemba, Oluchukwu Olomu, and Okwuosa Onyedika. They were handed over to the EFCC for investigation and prosecution.
One of the charge that sent them to jail reads: “that you Helen Itemba, Aladini Money, and others at large on or about the 4th May, 2009 at Bomadi Water side, Bomadi in Delta State within the Jurisdiction of this Honorable Court did conspire with one another to commit felony wit dealing in petroleum products contrary to section 3(6) of the miscellaneous offences Act CAP, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2007 and punishable under section 1(17) of the same Act”.
