IBADAN – The Oyo state police command on friday arraigned seven persons before an Ibadan Chief Magistrate court for allegedly stealing 72 metric tonnes of cooking gas worth over N11.5million, belonging to Gasland Nigeria Limited, Oluyole Outlet, Ibadan.
The suspects in the matter are: Adio Gbadebo, 48, Oluwadamilare Oguntoyinbo, 29 (security guards); Akintola Oluwole, 35 (staff); and one Ramoni Waheed Olawale, 28, who was said had his industrial training with the company.
Others,Ewenla Rotimi, 33, Olaniyan Olatubosun, 28 and Olaleye Bolaji, 30, were said to be the suspected buyers of the stolen Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) between 2017 and 2019.
The suspects were reportedly arrested after one of them confessed to a supervisor in the company on how they had been stealing cooking gas from the outlet at Oluyole, Ibadan, after official working hours.
Daily Independent gathered that the person made the confession after he was transferred to another outlet, and he felt cheated that the group was no longer giving him a share in the money they were making from the illegal deal.
The group members were said to have claimed that he could no longer partake in the proceeds because he had been transferred to another outlet.
This however, informed his decision to let the cat out of the bag. The former intern in the company was accused of coming back at night to participate in the stealing, though he had completed his internship.
Owners of the company reportedly thought the tanks in the outlet were leaking when shortages were discovered after selling truck-loads of cooking gas to people. Various experts from different places, including Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), were invited to assess the gas tanks at the outlet, but no leakage was found.
The seven suspects were arraigned before a chief magistrate court presided over by Mrs. Olubisi Ogunkanmi at Iyaganku, Ibadan on Friday.
The presiding magistrate, Mrs. Ogunkanmi, however, admitted each of the suspects to bail in the sum of N1million and two sureties with certain conditions the sureties must fulfil. She adjourned the case to October 28, 2018 for mention.
The prosecuting police officer, Mrs. Bola Olorukooba, had preferred a three-count charge against the suspects. The first count stated that the seven accused persons conspired with one another to steal and receive the alleged stolen property and thereby committed an offence.
The second count stated that Akintola Oluwole, Ramoni Olawale, Adio Gbadebo and Oluwadamilare Oguntoyinbo on the same fate and place, “being staff of the aforementioned company did steal Liquefied Cooking Gas valued N11,530.00, property of one Oguntodu Ezekiel of Gasland Nigeria Limited
The post Seven Arraigned Over Alleged N11.5m Cooking Gas Theft appeared first on Independent Newspapers Nigeria.
Source: Independent
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