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18 Illegal Oil Dealers Forfeit N3.5m, Properties

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By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday, May 17, 2019, secured the conviction and sentencing of 18 illegal oil dealers before Justice Rilwan Aikawa of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.

The convicts are: Ayeni John, Emmanuel Tosu, Emopin Monein, Malade Aiyetimiyi, Odroja Ojune, Ikedehinbu Idowu, Abogun Ota, Elamah Augustine, Olarotimi Elikanah and ThankGod Benjami.

Others are: Abbas Friday, Victor Goldsmith, Gbenga Thomas, Ibane Austine, Idowu Surprise, Asemia Thomas, Agbayoh Lawrence, Salihu Malik and Ayetiniyi Ademola.

They were re-arraigned on a three -count charge bordering on conspiracy, dealing in and storing of unlicensed Automotive Gas Oil, AGO.

The suspects were arrested with two fibre boats laden with petroleum products from a hijacked vessel, MT MAMA ELIZABETH, by the Nigerian Navy on August 30, 2018 in Lagos and some parts of Ondo and handed over to the Commission for further investigation and prosecution.

They were alleged to have conspired among themselves to deal in about 21,840 litres of Automotive Gas Oil without appropriate licence.

At the point of arrest, N3.5 million, which was suspected to be proceeds from the sales of the illegally acquired products, was found on one of the convicts.

One of the counts reads: “ That you, Ayeni John, Emmanuel Tosu, Emopin Moneyin, Malade Aiyetimiyi, Odeoja Ojune, Ikedehinbu Idowu, Abogun Ota, Elamah Augustine, Olarotimi Elikanah, ThankGod Benjamin, Abbas Friday, Victor Goldsmith, Gbenga Thomas, Ibane Austine, Idowu Surprise, Asemia Thomas, Agbayoh Lawrence, Saliu Malik, Ayetiniyi Ademola , between August and September, 2018 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, conspired amongst yourselves to commit an offence to wit: dealing in about 21,840 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO)without appropriate licence and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap.17 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and punishable under Section 1(17) of the same Act.”

All but the eighth defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against him defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against them.

In view of their pleas, the prosecution counsel, Idris Abdullahi, informed the court that the first, seventh, ninth and nineteenth defendants had entered a plea bargain with the EFCC and sought the leave of the court to review the facts of the case.

The prosecution counsel, Abdullahi, in his submission, informed the court that on August 30, 2018, the Nigerian Navy Beecroft, while on a patrol around the Atlas Cove Island, intercepted two fiber boats that had in its possession 21,840 litres of AGO, the source of the product was hijacked from a vessel named MV Mama Elizabeth.

He also told the court that, at the time of arrest, nine crew members were arrested and 10 others during the cause of investigation.

Abdullahi also stated that the sum of N3.5 million was found on the 18 defendant, while two locally made fabricated guns were recovered from the nineteenth defendant.

He added: “They were all handed over to the EFCC for further investigation.

“EFCC investigations revealed that the defendants conspired amongst themselves, dealt in and stored unlicensed 21, 840 AGO.

“They were confronted with the findings and volunteered statements to the EFCC.

“The Nigerian Navy arresting officers also volunteered statements.”

The prosecution counsel sought to tender the hand-over notes from the Nigerian Navy to the EFCC, the arresting officers’ statements, the statements of the defendants and two letters from the EFCC exhibit keeper showing deposit of N3,500,000 and two fabricated guns.

The documents were admitted in evidence as exhibits 1, 2, 3, (3A),4(4Q)5, respectively.

The prosecution adopted the plea bargain agreement of one year imprisonment on the defendants each from August 25, 2018, being the day of their arrest and detention prior to their arraignment on February 28, 2019.

It was also agreed that the two fibre boats, 21,840 litres of Automotive Gas Oil and the sum of N3.5 million recovered from the eighteenth convict be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria and be deposited by the Commission to the Consolidated Revenue Funds of the Federation.

According to the prosecution, it was further agreed that the two fibre boats and the 2,1840 litres of Automotive Gas Oil be sold by the EFCC in collaboration with the appropriate government agency or private organization, and the proceeds be remitted to Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation.

It was also agreed that, upon their release from prison custody, the defendants are to enter a bond with the EFCC to be of good behaviour and never to be involved in any form of economic and financial crimes, illegitimate or criminal acts, both within and outside the shores of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In view of their guilty plea, the prosecution counsel, Abdullahi, urged the court to convict the defendants on the three-count charge and also prayed the court to sentence them to the terms agreed in the plea bargain.

Justice Aikawa, while considering the terms of the plea bargain, convicted the defendants on the three counts and sentenced them to one year imprisonment on each count, which are to run concurrently.

Modupe Gbadeyanka is a fast-rising journalist with Business Post Nigeria. Her passion for journalism is amazing. She is willing to learn more with a view to becoming one of the best pen-pushers in Nigeria. Her role models are the duo of CNN's Richard Quest and Christiane Amanpour.

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Kwara Governor Removes Deputy Chief of Staff, Others in Minor Shake-up

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AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The Governor of Kwara State, Mr AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has removed his Deputy Chief of Staff and the Principal Private Secretary.

In a statement on Monday by his Deputy Chief Press Secretary, Mr Mashood AbdulRafiu Agboola, it was disclosed that the Governor also removed all Special Advisers, Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, and Special Assistants in the “minor cabinet shake-up.

It was explained that the action was to extend opportunities to more party members and inject fresh energy into the administration.

Mr AbdulRazaq directed them to hand over all government properties in their custody to the Office of the Secretary to the State Government.

He thanked the affected appointees for selfless service to the state and his administration, wishing them well in their future endeavours.

“His Excellency expresses his gratitude to all the appointees for their priceless service to the state. He wishes them the best in their future endeavours,” the statement noted.

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Xenophobia: FG Evacuates More Nigerians as South Africa Protests Loom

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By Adedapo Adesanya

The federal government has announced that another batch of Nigerians will be evacuated from South Africa on Tuesday as part of ongoing efforts to safeguard citizens ahead of planned anti-immigrant protests in the country.

Anti-immigrant groups in South Africa have set a June 30 deadline for immigrants to leave the country, planning widespread demonstrations on that date and threatening a national shutdown if the country’s government does not take significant action on immigration.

According to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Kimiebi Ebienfa, an Air Peace aircraft departed Nigeria on Monday and is expected to return to Lagos on Tuesday morning with another group of Nigerians who opted for voluntary evacuation.

The latest operation comes as anti-immigration groups prepare to stage demonstrations from June 30. The government has continued its evacuation programme for Nigerians who have indicated a willingness to return home.

Providing details of the latest flight, Mr Ebienfa said, “Nigeria will resume the evacuation of our nationals from South Africa today.

“Air Peace aircraft will depart Nigeria today, Monday, June 29, 2026, at 3:00 pm and is expected to arrive in South Africa at approximately 9:00 pm local time.

“The return flight is scheduled to depart South Africa at 12:00 midnight and is expected to arrive at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, on Tuesday morning.”

He added that 271 Nigerians are expected to arrive on the evacuation flight.

President Tinubu approved the voluntary evacuation programme earlier this month to enable Nigerians willing to leave South Africa to return home safely.

Earlier in June, the federal government disclosed that five Air Peace evacuation flights had been approved after more than 500 Nigerians were screened for repatriation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the flights were intended to ensure that all registered Nigerians who wished to return would be evacuated safely.

Before the latest operation, 328 Nigerians had already been repatriated in two batches. The first flight, which landed on June 11, brought back 262 returnees, while a second batch of 66 arrived in Lagos on June 25.

The evacuation exercise is being coordinated by the Federal Government in partnership with Air Peace and other relevant agencies.

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Why Ad Platform Policy Changes Are a Hidden Risk in Every Outsourced Paid Media Relationship

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white label ppc management

The rules governing digital advertising landscapes are never set in stone. Major platforms like Google, Meta, and TikTok frequently update their privacy frameworks, compliance requirements, and algorithmic bidding logic without giving agencies much time to prepare. When a marketing team decides to delegate its active campaigns to an external production partner, these sudden policy shifts can introduce a major element of vulnerability into the relationship. Integrating a professional white label ppc management structure allows your business to scale production and tap into high-level optimization talent without building a massive internal department. However, if your fulfillment partner is not built to monitor, interpret, and rapidly deploy adjustments in response to changing platform guidelines, your clients risk facing sudden account suspensions or massive spikes in customer acquisition costs.

Decoupling Technical Adaptability from Account Ownership

When an advertising platform changes its rules, the changes need to be made away in the live ad accounts. This is so the ads do not stop working. Sometimes there is a problem when one team thinks another team is taking care of making sure the ads follow the rules. The team that is supposed to make sure everything is working thinks the other team is doing this job. This can cause problems like missing information and ads that do not work. To keep your clients happy, you need a plan that says who is in charge of checking for rule changes, who updates the ad information, and who updates the ad text rules when the advertising platform changes its rules. You need to know who does what so everything runs smoothly. Advertising platforms and ad accounts are important for your clients.

Managing the Financial Fallouts of Compliance Delays

The real-world financial cost of failing to adapt to sudden policy changes can ruin an agency’s reputation and cause high client turnover. If an automated ad platform updates its rules for a specific industry—such as healthcare, real estate, or finance—and your campaign structure fails to adjust within the grace period, entire accounts can be paused overnight. While your backend team works to fix the errors, your client loses valuable inbound leads while their fixed overhead costs remain. Agencies must make sure their fulfillment partners don’t just focus on basic optimization but also maintain a proactive stance toward platform compliance to prevent budget waste and operational downtime.

Maintaining Strategic Alignment Through Platform Shifts

Relying on a partner to manage the daily execution of your paid media means you must remain highly aligned on how macro-level platform changes alter your broader strategy. When networks restrict traditional targeting methods, your backend white label ppc management team must quickly pivot to alternative solutions, such as first-party data loops or contextual targeting systems. If your vendor operates on autopilot without adjusting to these shifts, your campaigns will slowly lose efficiency as the old targeting methods become obsolete. Regular strategy sessions are essential to confirm that your optimization partners are actively adjusting their setups to remain effective beneath the latest network rules.

Building a Resilient Operations Partnership

To do well with ad networks, you need to work together with your partners and be able to change quickly. You also need to be open with each other. Ad agencies can not just set up their paid media. Forget about it. They need to keep an eye on it and make changes when needed. If you work closely with the company that provides your white-label service, you can protect your business from losing money. You should expect this company to tell you about changes to the network rules and to take action. The best partnerships are the ones where people work together all the time and make changes fast. This helps your clients make money consistently from their investments even when the rules of the ad networks change. Modern ad networks are always changing, so you need to be able to change with them to do well. Modern ad networks require a lot of work to navigate successfully.

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