Justice L.N. Oweibo of Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Thursday, July 9, 2020, convicted and sentenced Captain Peter Okomi to three years imprisonment. Also convicted and sentenced was his company, Moyitok Nigeria Ltd and a vessel, M.V. Agbeke, for illegal dealing in petroleum products.
The convicts were prosecuted by the Lagos Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on three-count charges to which they pleaded guilty, following their arrest by officers of the Nigerian Navy and subsequent hand over to the EFCC for investigation and prosecution.
One of the charges read: “M.V. Agbeke, Moyitok Nigeria Limited, and Peter Okomi, on the 21st day of January 2020, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, without an appropriate license, dealt in 100 metric tonnes of Automative Gas Oil (AGO) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 3 (6) of the Miscellaneous Offence Act, Cap. M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria and punishable under Section 1 (17) of the same Act.”
Upon their guilty pleas, prosecution counsel, Mohammed Idris, reviewed the facts of the case and prayed the court to convict and sentence Okomi accordingly. He also urged the court to order the forfeiture of the vessel and the 100 metric tonnes of Automative Gas Oil (AGO, diesel) it conveyed to the Federal government of Nigeria, being proceeds of unlawful activity.
Justice Oweibo convicted and sentenced Okomi to one-year imprisonment on each of the three counts, which run concurrently. He also ordered the forfeiture of the vessel, MV Agbeke and the 100 metric tonnes of diesel recovered from it to the Federal government of Nigeria, and directed the EFCC to collaborate with relevant government or non- governmental agency to sell the vessel and the petroleum product on board the vessel within a reasonable time and remit the proceeds into Consolidated Revenue Funds.
