Pix: The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intensified its crackdown on petroleum smuggling, intercepting 199,495 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) being illegally diverted to neighbouring countries on Nigeria-Cameroon borders.

The latest operation under ‘Operation Whirlwind’ dealt a significant blow on the economic saboteurs, seeking to undermine the nation’s fuel supply chain as the Zone D Customs Area Command, covering Adamawa/Taraba Command, was said to have improved on intelligence-led operations capable of disrupting various smuggling techniques and activities within the axis.

Bashir Adeniyi, Comptroller-General of Customs at a Press Briefing in Adamawa State, Nigerian State that borders Cameroon, said that persistent threat posed by fuel smuggling, did not only deprive Nigerians of essential petroleum products but also weakened national security and economic stability.

Saying that despite the Government’s economic reforms under President Bola Tinubu to ensure an adequate domestic fuel supply, unscrupulous elements still exploited the illicit trade for profit.

He explained that to combat the menace, the NCS, in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), established ‘Operation Whirlwind’ last year.

This joint initiative had significantly enhanced border surveillance and enforcement efforts, leading to the seizure of 1,716,656 litres of petroleum products in 2024 alone.

Adeniyi also revealed that in the recent success, the NCS intercepted four fuel tankers carrying 97,000 litres of PMS, along with 1,363 jerry cans of 25 litres each (34,075 litres) and 311 drums of 220 litres each (68,420 litres). The total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seized products amounts to N199,495,000.