Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
The Gombe State High Court has sentenced Osman Idris Gaya, a Depot Representative of Sanduff Oil and Gas Ltd in Lagos, to three years imprisonment for a crime bordering on the conversation of 40,000 litres of petroleum product of the company to his personal use.
According to a statement issued by the Gombe zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the zonal office secured the conviction following a petition written by Sanduff Oil and Gas Ltd dated 29th August 2017.
The EFCC said the petition alleged that sometime in July 2015 in Gombe, the convict, acting as the Depot Representative of the company in Lagos, was entrusted with N5,313,200 to deliver 40p000 litres of Petroleum product, which he failed to do, converted diverting it to his personal use. According to the EFCC, the act is contrary to Section 311 of the Penal Code Law of Northern Nigeria and punishable under Section 312 of the same Law.
While sentencing the convict who pleaded guilty of the crime to three years imprisonment on the one-count charge, Justice Abubakar Jauro of the Gombe State High Court gave him an option of a fine of N100,000. “Shortly after listening to allocutus made by the defence counsel as first time offender,” the EFCC said.
The statement disclosed that the prosecution counsel, M D Aliyu, urged the court to pronounce the culprit guilty as charged, which the judge did it.
“The judge also considered the submission of the defence counsel, which was confirmed by the prosecution, that a certain percentage of the money was recovered during the investigation and an agreement was also reached between the nominal complainant and the convict that the remaining balance will be recovered from his salary being a serving staff of the company up to now.”