A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos presided over by Justice Yelim Bogoro has sentenced three former casual workers at Dangote Refinery to one year imprisonment each for stealing Armored Cable and other wires meant for the installation of power at the refinery.
The three convicts who have being in custody following thier arrest over a year ago are Nweke Chika, Adah Titus and Olantewaju Segun.
According to the one count charge filed by the police, the defendants were said to have sometime in October 2021 at the Dangote Petrochemical and Oil Refinery Project, Idasho town, Ibeju-Lekki Lagos, unlawfully removed, tamper, meddle with and interfere with cables, wire or assembly of wires designed or used for transforming or converting electricity to the refinery and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 1 (9) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.
Upon thier arraignment by police prosecutor, Victor Okoye in late 2021 and thier plea of not guilty, the three defendants have remained in prison custody due to their inability to perfect the bail conditions granted them by the court.
However, at the resumed trial of the charge on Tuesday, the three defendants opted to change thier plea from not guilty to guilty and the prosecutor consequently reviewed the facts of the case by tendering the defendants extra- judicial statements and thier photographs during arrest which they all admitted.
Consequently Justice Yelim Bogoro convicted and sentenced them to one year imprisonment each, but added that the term of imprisonment shall commence from the date of thier arrest since they have all being in the prison since the day of thier arrest.
