The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced that its officials intercepted 199,495 litres of petrol being smuggled through international border communities in Adamawa and Taraba states.
The fuel, concealed in various containers and vehicles, was reported en route to neighbouring countries when it was seized by Operation Whirlwind, the NCS’s special anti-smuggling unit.
This latest crackdown adds to a series of seizures announced since the operation was launched in May last year.
Speaking at a news briefing in Yola on Thursday, NCS Controller Bashir Adeniyi revealed that intelligence-driven operations across the Zone D axis led to the confiscation of fuel being illegally transported using various concealment methods.
The CGS gave the breakdown of the seizures as four fuel tankers carrying 97,000 litres of petrol; 1,363 Jerry cans of 25 litres each totalling 34,075 litres; and 311 drums of 220 litres each, totalling 68,420 litres.
He explained: “Our vigilant officers operating in high-risk terrains identified as smuggling corridors intercepted these products through operations targeting sophisticated smuggling attempts.”
The NCS controller general said the Operations Whirlwind is determined to stop economic saboteurs from diverting petrol meant for consumption within the country so that there would be reasonable stability in fuel production and consumption around the country.
