A Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday remanded in Ikoyi Prison eleven suspected vandals accused of bursting petroleum pipelines in Atlas Cove, Lagos.
The suspects are: Sidi Egbayelo, Sunday Shedrack, Edem Okon, Kofa Godwin, Rosemon Neito, Ejona Kpamkpam and Moses Victor. Others are Christopher Sunday, Peter Tay, Remon Uchugwu and Mike Sabato. They pleaded not guilty to the four-count charge leveled against them by the prosecutor.
Justice Musa Kurya took the decision to remand them after listening to the argument of both counsel on the bail application.
The prosecutor, Justin Enang had urged the court to deny the accused bail on the ground that their offence borders on economic sabotage which requires serious sanctions, insisting that the accused are likely to jump bail if granted.
But the defence counsel, McAnthony Aikharialea promised to guarantee a reliable surety who would ensure that they are always in court to answer to the charges, adding that they were ordinary fishermen who were arrested by police patrol team while fishing on the sea.
He stated that the accused were never near the pipelines as at the time of their arrest, maintaining that they will not jump bail if released.
The judge thereafter adjourned the matter to Monday, February 11 for consideration of the bail application.
According to the prosecutor, on December 21, 2012 at Atlas Cove area of Lagos within the jurisdiction of the Court tampered with petroleum pipeline, property of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 516 of the criminal code, Cap C38, laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
He also accused them of stealing 220 drums of Petroleum product (PMS) valued atN5.3 million, property of the NNPC. He said that they committed an offence by that act and that such offence is punishable under section 390 of Criminal Code, Act, Cap C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
The prosecutor in addition accused them of unlawfully dealing in petroleum product without appropriate authority, “thereby committed an offence punishable under section 1 (17) (b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
