The Idiroko command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has finally issued a response letter to Adeboye Sowale, the Ogun State-based petroleum marketer who some of its officers took N1.45 million from and “accused of smuggling fuel” in July.

In its response letter dated August 1, addressed to Gbenro Gbadamosi and Co., Sowale’s legal representatives, the customs, among other things, stated that it had commenced an investigation into the petition the marketer submitted on his seized product.

“I have been directed to write and inform you that Ogun 1 Area Command had during the relevant period of July intercepted a total of 8,400 litres of PMS at various points of exit,” the letter, signed by CA Ogunesan, one of the command’s principal officers, reads.

“The said PMS products have since been auctioned to members of the general public, pursuant to enabling powers and combustible nature of the products.

READ ALSO: Ogun Customs Seized Marketer’s 2,200L of Fuel, Labelled Him a Smuggler, Took N1.45m Bribe From Him, Then Sold the Fuel to Another Station

“Furthermore, proceeds accrued from the auction sales have been lodged into designated bank federation accounts.

“However, investigations have commenced into alleged criminal conversion, and personnel allegedly involved.”

On August 5, FIJ reported how Sowale was accosted by some Customs officers in the Idiroko area while transporting 2,200 litres of petrol from one of his filling stations. He was moving the product from a filling station that had petrol in abundance to another that had none.

The officers, after interrogating Sowale, labelled him a smuggler and seized the fuel worth N1,584,000 and the van conveying it. This happened after Sowale had shown them the waybill he had with him during the incident.

In the end, the Customs officers re-sold the fuel they had seized from Sowale to another petroleum marketer in Idiroko and forced Sowale to pay a N1.45 million bribe before the van could be released to him.

READ ALSO: Ogun Customs Want Petrol Marketer’s Van After Taking N1.45m Bribe From Him

In trying to avoid being implicated while receiving the bribe from the marketer, the officers used Shina, a civilian and supposed thug, as the recipient of the money.

Two of the officers were later identified as one Mukaila Lawal and one “Mr Phillips”.

The incident prompted Sowale to petition the Customs through his lawyers on July 22. In the letter, Sowale demanded a refund of N1,584,000 for the fuel seized from him at the time and the N1,450,000 payment he was forced to pay for his vehicle’s release.

When FIJ contacted Phillips via phone calls and text messages for comments on the incident, he chose not to respond.

READ ALSO: Undercover as a Smuggler

Instead, Phillips reached out to Shina to get Sowale to return the vehicle to the Customs office in Idiroko.

On August 19, FIJ reported how the Customs officers involved in the matter made fresh attempts at recovering the vehicle they once seized from Sowale.

This was after they had collected N1.45 million “release bribe” from the marketer.

More importantly, it has been two months since the Customs, via the letter, promised an investigation into the accusations made by Sowale.

Unfortunately, the outcome of the investigation has not been made known to the marketer.

“I have not heard from them to date,” Sowale told FIJ on Monday.

“Though the letter was dated August 1, 2024, it was only recently brought to my notice.

“What is more important to me right now is that it’s been two months since the response was issued and the outcome of the investigation the Customs promised to carry out has not been made known to me.”