Oil theft: 13 Filipinos Bag 65 years imprisonment 

Thirteen Filipinos who were arrested on November 14, 2008, and charged to court on December 17, 2008, were Friday 20 th February, 2009, convicted by Justice Chukwura Nnamani, at the Federal High Court 1, Benin City.

The accused persons, who initially pleaded not guilty on arraignment, later changed their plea and they were found guilty based on their plea.

The charges against include Conspiracy among themselves to commit felony; to deal in petroleum products without authorization, dealing in 12,000 metric tones of petroleum products, suspected to be crude oil and bunkered in a vessel marked MT-AKUADA.

Justice Nnamani in his judgement, sentenced the 13 accused persons to five years imprisonment, or a fine of one million naira (N1, 000,000.00) each. The names of the accused persons (all-male) are: Erwin Anas 47yrs, Celso T. Bael 40yrs, Pedro Gementiza 46yrs, Reagan Colorge 24yrs, Ronnie Fabricante 52yrs, Sebastian G. Tedoosio 37yrs, George N. Balore 50yrs, Roland D. Caro 25yrs, Marcelo Galola 34yrs, Revel A. Dos Dosir Jnr. 24yrs, Richard Peniano34yrs, Arjay Alvarez 21yrs and Celso V. Zapauta 47yrs.

A team of Naval personnel from Forward Operation Base (FOB) had on 14 th November, 2008, arrested the Filipinos on board a vessel named MT.AKUADA, loaded with 12,000 metric tons of petroleum product which was already on outbound transit around Escravos Breakwater and were subsequently handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Port Harcourt through the Joint Task Force (Operation Restore Hope), Warri.

The case was adjourned to 12 th March, 2009, for a locus inquo to decide the consequential order of either forfeiture or other wise.

Barely three weeks ago, were seven Ghanaians and a Nigerian also arrested in Delta with stolen petroleum product worth over N300million. The eight of them are due to be arraigned in a Benin federal high court next Tuesday.