Witness Narrates To Court How Oil Marketer Stole N100.8m From Customers

An operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Musbau Issa, on Thursday, narrated to the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja how an oil marketer, Glory Benson, allegedly stole N100,865,000 from her customers.

Issa, who was testifying in the ongoing trial of Benson, alongside two of her companies, Glonnek Energy Resources Limited and Petroyal Energy Limited, told the trial judge, Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe, that the first defendant at various times obtained money from her customers under false pretences.

The EFCC operative alleged that in the process, the defendant became indebted to multiple customers, and she now fraudulently obtained money from customer A and used it to pay customer B.

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The anti-graft agency arranged the defendants on a seven-count charge of stealing and criminal conversion.

The Commission claimed that the defendants allegedly dishonestly converted petroleum products worth N100,865,000 to personal use.

The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

At the resumed hearing of the matter on Thursday, the EFCC counsel, Bilikisu Buhari, called Issa as a witness; while testifying, he said that the first defendant, Glory Benson, received various sums from the nominal complainants.

He claimed that after carrying out an investigation, the Commission discovered that the first complainant, Glory Onyeocha, on April 19, 2022, paid the sum of N16m into the defendant’s account, and the defendant immediately transferred the sum of N300,000 to C.E.O Global Resources Empire.

The witness also testified that the sum of N9,974,000 was transferred to Jusmec.
Issa added that on the same day, the second complainant, Chinyere Akpa, paid the sum of N15,855,000. The defendant immediately paid the first complainant the sum of N17,975000 and then wrote the balance of Petroleum Motor Spirit.

Issa further claimed that on the same day, Benson made payments of N15 to one Ifeanyi, N7.2m to one Jubrin and N50,000 to one Abdulahi Musa.

He said, “From the analysis, we understood that she owed some customers, and once she received from customer A, she would use it to pay customer B.

“The second complainant, on April 22, 2022, via C.E.O., paid the sum of N9,060,000 to Benson, and the defendant paid N6,346,800 to Jusmac. She made another payment of N420,000 to an unknown account, and the description on the account was mine.

“The sum of N1,726,000 was transferred to one Benedicta and was described as balanced; also, on April 25, 2022, the first complainant sent the sum of N13,950,000 to the defendant, and immediately she received the money, she used it to offset CEO Empire.

“The second complainant, Chinyere Akpa, also paid her the sum of N15,500,000, and the defendant used it to pay global resources, and she wrote repayment of PMS,” the witness stated.

Justice Abike-Fadipe has adjourned the matter to March 27 for continuation of trial.

When the defendant was arraigned, the prosecutor, Bilikisu Buhari, told the court that Benson, alongside her companies, committed the offences between April 14 and 25, 2023.

She said that the defendant on April 14, 2023, dishonestly converted petroleum motor spirit worth the sum of N15,500,000 to her use, property of Akpa (CEO Empire Global Resources Ltd).

The prosecutor also alleged that the defendant, on April 19, 2023, converted N15,855,000; on April 22, 2023, the sum of N9,060,000; on April 25, 2023, the sum of N15,500,000, all property of Akpa.

Buhari further told the court that on April 19, 2023, the defendant converted the sum of N16m, N15m and N13,950,000 to her use, all property of Onyeacha.
According to her, the offences committed contravened Section 278, punishable under section 285 (9) (b) of the criminal law of Lagos state 2011.