PARIS, MAY 24, 2017:
(DGW) The Department of State Services says the Executive Officer of Capital Oil has committed what amounts to economic sabotage which carries the death penalty for diverting about 80 million litres of petrol in his custody by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC.
UBA, DSS said, did not heed NNPC demand to release the product kept in his custody worth over N11 billion which was capable of causing artificial scarcity and plunging the nation into economic chaos.
The DSS had stated in a counter affidavit together with written submissions to an application by the detainee which prayed the court in Jabi Abuja to set aside an order for his detention for 14 days.
Justice Yusuf Halilu had reportedly granted the order to the DSS on May 10, 2017 allowing the agency to keep the suspect in custody for fourteen calendar days.
DSs counsel G. Agbadua reportedly told Justice Halilu on Tuesday that Ubah was action amounted to sabotage by trying to lunging the country into economic crisis.
“He converted PMS belonging to the NNPC kept in the custody of his tank farm to his personal use.
“The respondent refused to return the PMS to NNPC after repeated demands. The PMS is worth over N11bn. The action of the respondent is affecting the distribution of petroleum products to the populace.
“The action of the respondent is sabotage of NNPC’s activities as it relates to distribution of petroleum products. If not for the urgent steps taken by the Federal Government, the action of the respondent would have plunged the country into widespread scarcity with its attendant effect on the economy.”