Court Orders DSS to Produce Ifeanyi Ubah on Friday

Justice Muhammed Idris of the Federal High Court, Lagos, has ordered the State Security Service, SSS, to produce the Managing Director of Capital Oil and Gas Limited, Ifeayi Ubah on Friday, May 12 to show why he (Mr. Ubah) should not be released unconditionally.

Mr. Idris gave the ruling in favour of the ex-parte application filed by Mr. Ubah’s counsel, Ifeoma Esom, to compel the release of Mr. Ubah from the SSS’s custody where he had been held in detention since May 6.

Upon the arrest of Mr. Ubah, the SSS said he was arrested over “economic sabotage” and diversion of petroleum products to the tune of N11 billion.

The agency said that petroleum products, belonging to NNPC Retail, stored in the Capital Oil farm in Lagos under a throughput agreement, went missing under controversial circumstances.

The diversion was said to have eventually led to the sack of the head of NNPC Retail, Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue.

However, Capital Oil’s company secretary claimed that the throughput agreement allows “conversion and diversion of IT products by “operators” so long as the operator is prepared to re-deliver the products within 7 days of demand by the products owner or to pay a penalty for non-re-delivery”.