The Federal High court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has ordered an oil company operating in the state to pay the sum of N7 million to the Federal Government, for transacting oil business without permission by the appropriate quarters.
The convict, “Lakeside Petroleum Retail Logistics Limited” had in 2018 caught around the Onne axis of Eleme Local Government Area of the state, conveying petroleum products suspected to be artisanal diesel, in a vessel M.V Neya III, without approval. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, , Port Harcourt Zonal office who charged the matter to court, told the trial Judge, Justice M.I. Sani that the offence contravened Section 1 of the Miscellaneous Offences Acts M17 of the Reverse Edition Act 2007, and punishable under the same Act.
One of the charges read, “that you Lakeside Petroleum Retails and Logistics Limited on or about May 2018, around Onne, Port Harcourt, Rivers state, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court deal in Petroleum Product to wit: possessing and transporting poorly refined Automotive Gas Oil in a motor tank, M.V.
According to EFCC investigations, ‘the company chartered MV NEYA III before her arrest on May 7, 2018. At the point of arrest, MV NEYA IIl had about 52, 540litres of product suspected to be AGO, loaded from an unnamed Metal Barge at Taraba-Jetty, Borokiri, Port Harcourt.