EFCC Secures Conviction of Two Oil Thieves and Internet Fraudster in Uyo

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Uyo Zonal Command, has successfully secured the conviction of Olufunsho Dayo Chevy and Uwem Udo Nya for oil theft. The conviction also extends to the vessel MT New Angel and the company Edi Eurolink Distribution. Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Calabar, sentenced the convicts to a fine of ₦20 million, equivalent to ₦5 million each, to be paid into the federal government’s account. According to a statement by EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, the judgement was delivered on Monday, January 13, 2025. The convicts faced a one-count charge of stealing and unlicensed dealing in petroleum products. The charge read: “That you, MT New Angel, Edi Eurolink Distribution, Olufunsho Dayo Chevy, Uwem Udoh Nya, and others at large, sometime in June 2024, at Calabar, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did deal in petroleum products (crude oil) without an appropriate license issued by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency, and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 13(2)(b)(i) of the Petroleum Act CAP P10, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990, punishable under the same Section.” The defendants pleaded guilty to the charge, and prosecution counsel Joshua Abolarin presented evidence and urged the court to convict them. Defence counsel Chris Okeadaka and Cyprian Afahanam requested leniency, citing their clients as first-time offenders. The Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS Victory, had apprehended the convicts on July 30, 2024, and handed them over to the EFCC. In a separate case, the EFCC secured the conviction of internet fraudster Shedrach Johnson, alias “Johnny Depp,” for identity theft, impersonation, and obtaining by false pretence. Justice Maurine Onyetenu of the Federal High Court, Uyo, sentenced Johnson to three months’ imprisonment on Thursday, January 16, 2025. The court, however, gave him the option of a ₦100,000 fine, alongside the forfeiture of his Techno K.E.5 mobile phone, which is to be auctioned with the proceeds deposited into the EFCC account. Johnson was arrested on November 23, 2024, in Ikot Akpaden, Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Prosecution counsel Khamis Mahmud presented incriminating evidence from the convict’s mobile device and urged the court to convict him as charged. Both convictions reflect the EFCC’s continued efforts to combat economic crimes and enforce the rule of law.