Falana Asks Nigerian Customs To Release Officer Detained For Exposing Petrol Smuggling To Niger Republic, Cameroon, Chad, Others

SaharaReporters reported on Monday that Owombo had been moved to the Customs National Headquarters in Abuja.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN has asked the Nigerian Customs authorities to release a detained Customs officer, Owombo John Segun who exposed how refined petroleum products, particularly Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, are being trafficked to Cameroon, Chad, Niger Republic and some other African nations.

Falana made the call in a statement made available to SaharaReporters on Thursday, adding that Owombo’s revelation should be not disregarded by the Nigerian Government and thus should be investigated.

He said, “Last year, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Colonel Hamid Ali (rtd) accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Directorate of Petroleum Resources of involvement in smuggling fuel out of Nigeria to neighbouring countries.

Furthermore, at a public hearing recently held at the National Assembly, Colonel Ali questioned the claim of the NNPC that the daily consumption rate of fuel is 68 million litres. The patriotic revelation of the Comptroller-General of Customs was hailed by the entirety of the Nigerian people.

“Mr. Owombo John Segun of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone D in Adamawa state who cried out at the smuggling of fuel out of Nigeria by NNPC tankers at the Malabo Belle border road did not commit any offence as he was only substantiating the weighty allegations of Colonel Ali. More so that the smugglers apparently enjoy immunity from arrest and prosecution under the current political dispensation.

“Therefore, the detained officer should be released or charged before a court of competent jurisdiction if there is evidence that he has committed a criminal offence prescribed by law.