Nigerian, Six foreigners sentenced to seven years in jail for oil theft

The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has convicted and sentenced Six foreigners and a Nigerian to seven years in detention for oil theft.

Justice Kolawole Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt gave the sentence after three years of prosecution of the convicts by the Port Harcourt Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The convicts are two Pakistanis; two Ukrainians; one Ghanaian, one Indonesian and a Nigerian.

They were arraigned alongside four other persons who were discharged and acquitted by the court.

The company involved in the crime – Asztral Shipping Corporation SA – was wound up by the court while the vessel carrying the offensive crude oil was forfeited to the Federal Government.