A Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has sentenced a petroleum tanker driver, Famous Zacchaeus Oskiyame, to three years’ imprisonment for stealing 1,150 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (Diesel).
According to court records, under charge No. MU/777c/2020, Oskiyame was in 2020 contracted to deliver 45,000 litres of diesel from a liquid bulk tank (LBT) farm in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to Julius Berger yard in Uyo.
However, on arrival, it was discovered that the consignment was short by 1,150 litres.
Investigations revealed that the driver, alongside an escort, had siphoned the missing product. He was arrested and later confessed to the crime.
Delivering judgment, Magistrate Sam Ukoima found Oskiyame guilty of stealing, an offence punishable under Section 407(5) of the Criminal Code, Cap 381, Vol. 11, Laws of Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria, 2000.
The court ordered that Oskiyame serve three years in prison, and also pay the prevailing market value of the stolen diesel to the company before his release from custody.