9 foreign nationals sentence to 20yrs in prison by nigeria court for crude Oil theft

The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos today
sentenced 5 Filipinos identified as Axel Joseph
Gibo Jabone, Juanito Camireno Infantado, Suarin
Fernado Alave, Gatila Jaypee Gadayan and
Rolando Jose Commendador and four
Bangladeshis identified as Md Zahirul Islam,
Islam Shahinul, Islam Rafiqul and Shaikn Shibli
Nomany, to 20 years imprisonment each, with
fine options of N20million per person for crimes
relating to crude oil theft in Nigeria.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) had dragged the 9 foreigners before the
court alleging that on or about March 27, 2015 in
Lagos they conspired to commit an offence
involving dealing in 3423.097metric tons of crude
oil without lawful authority or appropriate license,
contrary to Section 1(19)(6) of the Miscellaneous
Offence Act, Cap M17.
The antigraft agency also alleged that the
accused on the same day and time, stored 3,423.
097 metric tons of crude oil in MT Asteris' cargo
tanks, and thereby committed an offence contrary
to Section 4 of the Petroleum Act of the
Federation of Nigeria 2004. The presiding judge,
Justice Ibrahim Buba, in his ruling, found them
guilty of the crime despite them stating that they
were not guilty. Justice Buba granted them bail in
the sum of N50 million each, with one surety who
must be a Nigerian, provide evidence of means,
and deposit his passport with the registrar of the
court.
He also ordered their vessel, MT Asteri, to be
forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria,
together with the crude oil on board. He
described the convicted foreigners as the
saboteurs who have turned Nigeria into the
laughing stock in the comity of Nations, warning
that Nigerians and non-Nigerians must respect
Nigeria and its laws.
He sentenced each convict to five years on each
of the four counts, with an option of five million
Naira fine on each of them. While the sentences
are to run concurrently, the option of fine is not