The Nigeria Customs Service has seized 199,495 litres of petrol being smuggled through international border communities in Adamawa and Taraba states.
The fuel, hidden in different containers and vehicles, was on its way to neighbouring countries before it was intercepted by Operation Whirlwind, the NCS’s special anti-smuggling unit.
Speaking at a news briefing in Yola on Thursday, NCS Controller General Bashir Adeniyi said the fuel was seized through intelligence-driven operations.
“Our vigilant officers operating in high-risk terrains identified as smuggling corridors intercepted these products through operations targeting sophisticated smuggling attempts,” he said.
He gave a breakdown of the seized fuel as follows: 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.
Adeniyi stressed that Operation Whirlwind is committed to stopping fuel smuggling to ensure petrol meant for local consumption remains available.
He added, “We are determined to stop economic saboteurs from diverting petrol so that there will be reasonable stability in fuel production and consumption across the country.”
