Abdulkadir Mohammed Salihu, a former sales assistant of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Kaduna Depot on Wednesday got a kid-glove treatment from a Nigerian court.
Justice Z. B Abubakar of the Federal High Court, Kaduna gave Salihu a N1 million fine or a three-year jail term after a proven theft of over N6billion from the NNPC.
After the assets seized from him were added, it did not appear Salihu got a full measure of retribution for his offence.
The EFCC arrested Salihu on 29 October last year. Before his arrest, he was in charge of loading manifest at the Kaduna Depot of the NNPC.
The EFCC arraigned him on Wednesday on a three-count charge of fraud before Justice Abubakar.
Salihu pleaded guilty to the charge.
Deborah Ademu-Eteh prosecuting on behalf of EFCC subsequently asked the court to summarily sentence Salihu.
The convict was arrested after several petitions against him were submitted to the Kaduna Zonal office of the EFCC.
Upon investigation, the EFCC discovered that Salihu conspired with some unidentified oil marketers to lift petroleum products without payment to the NNPC at the depot.
The theft was estimated at over N6 billion.
The investigation further revealed that he was part of the cartel behind multiple loading of petroleum products, without corresponding payments. He committed the fraud between 2009 to 2017 at Kaduna Depot
Following his guilty plea, Justice Abubakar sentenced the suspect to a term of three years imprisonment with an option of N1 million fine..
The convict also forfeited the following items:
- One unit of three-bedroom apartment and one unit of two-bedroom boy’s quarter situated at 2 Kpak Close, off College Road, Kurmin Mashin, Kaduna;
- One-storey building containing four bedrooms and one bedroom self-contained with its appurtenances situated at 4 Kpak close, off College Road, Kurmin Mashin, Kaduna;
- One unit of three-bedroom apartment with two parlours and one self-contained bedroom situated at 6 Kpak Close, off College Road, Kurmin Mashin, Kaduna;
- a water factory known as Ummus Water and Drinks Ltd, situated at Birnin Yero, Igabi Local Government in Kaduna;
- One Fuel Station with four pumps with the name: Aminu and Salihu Ltd, situated at Sabon Gayan, Panturawa, along Saminaka, Jos Road, Kaduna.
- Five vehicles: One Odyssey Space Bus; One Toyota Tacoma Pick-up; One Toyota RAV 4 SUV; One Lexus 350 SUV; One Mitsubishi Petroleum Tanker.
The Judge also ordered the defendant to forfeit his Gratuity and 30 per cent of his monthly pension to the Federal Republic of Nigeria