THE Joint Task Force (JTF), code-named Operation Restore Hope, on Tuesday applauded last Friday’s judgment of the Federal High Court, Benin, convicting the 13 Filipinos arrested on November 14, 2008, for illegal oil bunkering.
According to a statement issued by the coordinator of the Joint Media Campaign Centre of JTF, Colonel Rabe Abubakar, the conviction of the foreigners was a vindication of the activities of the special security outfit.
He gave the names of the jailed Filipinos as Roland D. Cara, 25; Erwin Anas, 47; George N.Balore, 50; Sebastian G. Tedooso, 37; Celso T. Bael, 40; Pedro Gementiza, 46; Ronnie Fabricante, 52; Reagan Colorge, 24; Marcelo Galola, 34; Revel A. Dos Dosir jnr, 24; Richard Peniano, 34 and Celso V. Zapauta, 47 and Arjay Alvarez, 21.
The suspects were in possession of 12,000 metric tonnes of bunkered crude oil aboard a vessel marked M. T. Akuada, when they were arrested by operatives of the JTF last year.
The Federal High Court had sentenced each of the Filipinos to a five-year jail term with an option of N1 million after pleading guilty to handling oil products suspected to have been stolen in the Niger Delta.
The suspects were first charged to court by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on December 17, during which they pleaded not guilty, but later changed their plea.