Nigerian Customs Move Detained Officer To Head Office For Exposing “Booming Petrol Smuggling Business” To Niger Republic, Cameroon, Chad, Others

 

Owombo Segun John, a detained officer of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) who exposed how refined petroleum products, particularly Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, are being trafficked into Cameroon, Chad, Niger Republic and other African nations, has been transported to Abuja from Adamawa State.

Owombo is expected to meet with the Comptroller General of Customs while in detention.

This was confirmed to SaharaReporters on Monday during a phone conversation with his brother, who also stated that Owombo informed him that his life had been threatened since he was incarcerated.

“Last four days when I called him, he told me the customs officers have been threatening him. They say they would terminate him. Since then, we could not reach him again. It seems they have collected his phone.

“But a source within the office told me this morning that he has been taken to Customs National Headquarters in Abuja,” Owombo's brother said.

He also described the claims by some people that his brother, Segun is suffering from a mental disorder as untrue.

He continued: “My brother is a very brilliant man. Someone that was posted to Adamawa and has been working there since, how can you now say he is insane? That is a lie. They are just trying to cover up."

“The claim that he was found naked is also not true. He told me that immediately after he released the video, he was attacked by some customs officers and tanker drivers. He even told me that if he is allowed, he has some evidence to back up his claim,” he added.

When asked why Owombo was calling on Bola Tinubu, the ruling APC presidential candidate, in his video, he said Owombo did that due to inexperience.

“I also found that not good. He should have followed a proper channel to report what he found and not necessarily call out anybody’s name,” he said.

Last Friday, multiple sources told SaharaReporters that Owombo, an officer attached to the Federal Operations Unit, Zone D in Adamawa State had been arrested and detained.

In a video, he narrated how he arrested so many smugglers on Wednesday, November 2, at Malabo Checkpoint on Belel Road, Adamawa state.

He however said senior officials of the NCS called him to release the suspects.

Recently, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva said Nigeria loses at least 700,000 barrels of crude oil to thieves daily.