A Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja has sentenced two oil marketers, Mamman Nasir Ali and Christian Taylor, to 14 years in prison each for their roles in a N2.2 billion oil subsidy fraud.
Justice Mojisola Dada delivered the judgment on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, convicting the duo alongside their company, Nasaman Oil Services Limited, on an amended 57-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence, forgery, and use of false documents.
Originally arraigned on a 49-count charge, the defendants were re-arraigned following further investigations. They had pleaded not guilty to all charges.
According to court documents, the defendants falsely claimed to have imported over 30 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and secured fraudulent subsidy payments from the Federal Government of Nigeria. The court found that the fuel importation claims were backed by forged documents and fictitious transactions involving foreign companies.
In one of the charges, the defendants were accused of conspiring to fraudulently obtain N749.9 million by claiming it was subsidy due to Nasaman Oil Services for importing PMS via MT Liquid Fortune and MT Overseas Lima. Another charge involved N1.48 billion fraudulently obtained using similar tactics.
Justice Dada found the evidence presented by the prosecution, led by Seiduh Atteh, compelling. She ruled that the actions of the convicts not only defrauded the government but also undermined the integrity of Nigeria’s Petroleum Support Fund.
In addition to the custodial sentence, the court ordered the forfeiture of identified assets and bank accounts linked to the fraudulent scheme. A bench warrant was also issued for the arrest of two co-defendants still at large—Oluwaseun Ogunbambo and Olabisi Abdul-Afeez.
The case, initially handled by Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo, was reassigned to Justice Dada after Onigbanjo recused himself.
