By Sodiq Adelakun
No fewer than seven individuals were brought before the Federal High Court in Lagos State on Monday, accused of tampering with a petroleum product pipeline.
The defendants, namely Godbless Ebi, Gabriel Otovor, Saheed Abdularahman, Anthony Arubayan, John Adebayo, Emmanuel Ajayi, and Godwin Joseph, appeared before Justice Abimbola Awogboro and were charged with conspiracy and unlawfully tampering with the pipeline.
Despite the charges, all seven individuals pleaded not guilty.
Prosecution counsel, Mrs. O. Halima, told the court that the defendants committed the offences on Jan. 10 at Obawole, Fagba, Lagos State.
The alleged offences contravene Sections 1(19) and 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act, Law of the Federation, 2004.
The court granted the defendants bail in the sum of five million Naira each, with two sureties in like sum.
The court also ordered that one of the sureties must have a landed property.
It adjourned the case until March 11 for trial, and ordered that the defendants should be kept at the Ikoyi custodial facility, pending perfection of their bail.