Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja has sentenced Mamman Nasir Ali, son of former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman Ahmadu Ali, and Christian Taylor, a Sierra Leonean national, to 14 years imprisonment each for their involvement in a ₦2.2 billion oil subsidy fraud.
Justice Mojisola Dada delivered the ruling after the court found them guilty of an amended 57-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against them and their company, Nass Man Oil Services Limited.
The defendants were initially arraigned in 2012 on 49 counts, including conspiracy to obtain money by false pretences, obtaining money by false pretences, forgery, and using false documents.
The EFCC accused them of violating the provisions of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, as well as the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
According to the EFCC prosecutor, Seidu Atteh, the convicts fraudulently collected ₦2.2 billion from the Federal Government on or about September 9, 2011, under the petroleum subsidy scheme.
They allegedly submitted fake documents, including a forged “Gasoline Analysis” report for the vessel MT Overseas Limar, which was said to be issued by Saybolt Concremat.
“In her judgment, Justice Dada said she found the evidence presented by the prosecution compelling.”
She stated that the defendants’ actions not only led to financial loss for the government but also “undermined the integrity of Nigeria’s oil subsidy programme.”
In addition to the custodial sentences, the court ordered the forfeiture of assets and bank accounts linked to the fraudulent scheme.
Furthermore, Justice Dada issued arrest warrants for two other individuals, Oluwaseun Ogunbambo and Olabisi Abdul Afeez, who remain at large.
