In a major operation against fuel smuggling, the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS has seized 1,149 jerrycans of Premium Motor Spirit, at the Gembu-Cameroon border in Taraba.
Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, announced the interception on Friday in Jalingo during the public auction of the seized fuel.
The operation, carried out between March 8 and 9 under Operation Whirl Wind, was based on credible intelligence and executed in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser, and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
Adeniyi stated that the operation disrupted a growing smuggling corridor along the Gembu-Dorofi-Kan Iyaka-Cameroon route. He emphasized the agency’s determination to prevent Nigeria’s fuel from being illegally moved across borders, which harms the economy.
The seized fuel, contained in 30-liter jerrycans, totaled about 34 million liters. Customs also impounded a special-purpose transportation vehicle valued at N4 million, bringing the total duty-paid value of the seizure to over N37 million.
READ ALSO: Aviation unions demand removal of Customs service at the airport
Despite the rough terrain aiding smugglers, Adeniyi noted that customs is working to deploy advanced technology for real-time intelligence and surveillance to enhance interception efforts.
He urged Nigerians to support the fight against smuggling by providing credible information, stressing that collaboration between security agencies and the public is key to success.
“Smuggling is an economic crime, and tackling it requires collective effort. Intelligence gathering and inter-agency collaboration are crucial in sustaining this fight,” he said.
Reaffirming the NCS’s commitment to border security, Adeniyi warned that those involved in fuel smuggling would face the full weight of the law.
Controller Garba Bature of the Adamawa/Taraba Command commended the operation and vowed to intensify the crackdown on smuggling. He called on border communities to share intelligence that would aid security efforts.
NAN
