Nine Convicted for Crude Oil Theft in Akwa Ibom

The Federal High Court sitting in Uyo has convicted and sentenced nine out of 19 individuals arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) for crude oil theft in Akwa Ibom State. On Monday, presiding Judge Justice Joy Ikpeme found the convicts guilty on two counts: conspiracy and tampering with oil pipelines, violating Section 1(7) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.

The judge sentenced the convicts to five years imprisonment for the first count and ten years for the second count, with the sentences to run concurrently and no option of fine. The arrests occurred earlier in the year during an intelligence-led operation by the Nigerian Navy and the DSS, where the suspects were caught stealing crude oil from an oil well head identified as ASABO-D in the Ibeno Local Government Area.

A security source noted that this conviction represents a significant achievement in the Navy's ongoing efforts against crude oil theft and illegal bunkering, which adversely affect Nigeria's oil revenue and the environment.