Ten men have been convicted and sentenced to various prison terms by a Federal High Court sitting in Warri, Delta State, following their prosecution for illegal dealing in sub-standard petroleum products.
​The ruling was handed down on Friday, November 6, 2026, by presiding judge Justice H.A. Nganjiwa after all ten defendants pleaded guilty to the charges brought against them by the Benin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
​The convicts, James Terry, Gift Ezewu Godfrey, Obidi Peter Obi, Victor Ataria Sule, Jubril Abubakar, Auwal Aliyu, Nnaemeka Nwobodo, Victor Edem, Anthony Onyebuchi Edekobi, and Sunday Ndem Eyere, were handed sentences ranging from two to three years in prison.
Terry and Godfrey each received a two-year sentence or an option of a ₦300,000 fine. Obi, Sule, Abubakar, Aliyu, Nwobodo, and Edem were each sentenced to three years’ imprisonment or a fine of ₦300,000. Edekobi and Eyere were also handed three-year jail terms, with options of ₦350,000 and ₦400,000 fines, respectively.
​Detailing the operations that led to the convictions, EFCC Head of Media and Publicity Dele Oyewale confirmed that the anti-graft agency acted on actionable intelligence provided by the Office of the National Security Adviser regarding illicit oil activities in Koko, located within the Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State.
​Subsequent investigations revealed that on August 8, 2026, the defendants engaged in illegal trade involving Automotive Gas Oil that failed to meet standard quality specifications. They were formally charged under Section 1(18)(a)(ii) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
​During the court proceedings, prosecution counsel Francis Jirbo presented the facts of the case alongside the charges. Following the unanimous guilty pleas of the defendants, Jirbo urged the court to convict and sentence them accordingly, leading Justice Nganjiwa to issue the final judgments.
