BY GODWIN OBI
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intensified its crackdown on petrol smugglers, with the Operation Whirlwind unit announcing seizures of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) worth over ₦181 million in Adamawa State within the last two months.
According to the unit, which spearheads the fight against petroleum product smuggling, officers recorded 55 major interceptions, amounting to a duty-paid value of ₦181,603,515. The items seized include 284,006 litres of PMS packed in 2,642 jerrycans, 11,256 litres recovered from a filling station, and 485 drums of 220-litre capacity.
The products were allegedly being transported through illegal border routes into neighbouring countries. Customs operatives also seized two large wooden boats used by the smuggling syndicates.
Speaking at a press briefing in Yola, the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, ACG Kolapo Oladeji, said the operation would continue relentlessly.
“We will sustain this effort until smuggling—especially the illegal movement of petrol out of the country—becomes widely recognised as a serious offence,” he said.
Oladeji added that officers frequently face threats from those attempting to obstruct enforcement operations but stressed that the service remains firmly committed to safeguarding national economic interests.
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2025-12-05
