Owombo Segun John, a member of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), was apprehended for allegedly raising the alarm about the smuggling of refined petroleum products, particularly Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as gasoline, into Cameroon, Chad, the Niger Republic, and other African nations.
Owombo, a Superintendent of Customs (SC), reportedly described in a video how he detained so many smugglers on Wednesday, November 2, at Malabo Checkpoint on Belel Road, Adamawa state, according to Sahara Reporters.
However, he said that top NCS authorities had called him to release the accused.
On Friday, a number of sources told SaharaReporters that the Federal Operations Unit Zone D officer in Adamawa State had been imprisoned after being arrested.
A source told SaharaReporters that “the Comptroller has detained him over the video.”
According to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, at least 42 million liters of gasoline are illegally exported from Nigeria every day at a cost of roughly N2 billion (NNPC).
The NCS announced a directive in November 2019 that prohibited the supply of petroleum products to fuel stations within 20 kilometers of the boundaries.
Prior to then, the NNPC had expressed concern over the growing number of gas stations in border towns, alleging that they served as conduits for the smuggling of petroleum into neighboring nations.
With approximately 17,000 kilometers of porous borders, which make it feasible for the commodity to be easily transported to these neighboring nations, millions of Nigerians frequently experience fuel shortages.
Smugglers are reportedly having a field day selling Nigerian fuel at lower prices than the standard gas stations in Cameroon, according to a recent report by Deutsche Welle (DW), a public state-owned international broadcaster in Germany.
Despite the fact that the precise amount of fuel smuggled from Nigeria to Cameroon is unknown, local media sources in Cameroon estimate the illicit “black market” activity to be around $5 million (about N1.905 billion) annually.
According to a report by the German media, stolen petrol from the neighboring nation of Nigeria is easily accessible for purchase in Maroua, the capital of Cameroon’s Far North province.
It was discovered that the supply in Cameroon is consistent, even as Nigerians are experiencing shortages.
