Justice Mojisola Dada of the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos, has sentenced oil marketers Mamman Nasir Ali and Christian Taylor to 14 years in prison each.
The judgment followed their involvement in a massive oil subsidy scam totaling N2.2 billion.
The sentencing, which took place on Tuesday, brought closure to a case that had dragged on for years.
The convicted marketers and their company, Nasaman Oil Services Limited, were re-arraigned on an amended 57-count charge after new evidence was uncovered during investigations.
The amended charges included conspiracy, forgery, and the use of false documents.
According to one of the charges, “Nasaman Oil Services Ltd, Mamman Nasir Ali, Christian Taylor, Oluwaseun Ogunbambo (now at large), and Olabisi Abdul-Afeez (still at large), on or about the 9th day of November 2011 at Lagos, within the Ikeja Judicial Division, with intent to defraud, conspired to obtain the sum of N749,991,273.36… by falsely claiming that the sum… represented subsidy accruing to
Nasaman Oil Services Ltd under the Petroleum Support Fund for the importation of 10,031,986 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS)… which representation you knew to be false.”
While the details of the subsidy scam are disturbing, the court’s decision signals a renewed fight against corruption in Nigeria’s oil sector.
Moreover, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had earlier accused the convicts of fraudulently collecting N1,480,074,125.61 under the false pretense of importing 20,492,982.50 litres of PMS.
Investigations later revealed that these claims were fake, prompting legal action.
Justice Dada also issued arrest warrants for Oluwaseun Ogunbambo and Olabisi Abdul-Afeez, both of whom are still at large.
Their alleged involvement remains under serious scrutiny, and their eventual capture may lead to further revelations.
In addition, it shows that with persistent investigation, even long-standing financial crimes can be punished.
