The Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has sentenced a former Executive Director of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Captain Ezekiel Bala Agaba, to seven years in prison for laundering the sum of N1,541,408,666 while in service.
The sentence was handed down on Wednesday, by Justice Ibrahim Buba, convicting the former NIMASA Executive Director (ED).
Buba gave Agaba a total of 49 years imprisonment, convicting him on each of the seven-count charge, however, he will serve seven years as his sentence will run concurrently.
In 2015, the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had alleged that the ex ED in charge of Maritime, Safety, and Shipping, had connived with the then Director-General, Patrick Akpobolokemi, to obtain the huge sum by false pretence from the Federal Government.
The sum of money was fraudulently converted for personal use by the duo.
EFCC stated that between December 23, 2013 and March 13, 2014 in Lagos, Agaba converted the sum of N1.5billion in tranches of N437,726,666.60, N66,800,000, N21,802,000, N402,480, 000.00, N525,000,000, N70,000.000 and N176, 000,000.
The funds were laundered through four separate companies namely Seabulk Offshore Operator Ltd, Ace Protehesis Limited, Extreme Vertex Nigeria Limited and Aroward Consulting Limited.
In June 2019, the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos also sentenced the former Director-General of the agency, Calistus Obi, to seven years in prison or a N42 million fine.
Another former Acting Director-General of NIMASA, Haruna Baba-Jauro, also faced trial in 2019 on 19 counts bordering on theft, fraudulent conversion of NIMASA’s property to their private use and money laundering of N304 million.
Justice Mojisola Olatoregun gave the sentence on June 3, following allegations of fraud to the tune of N136 million.
