The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Wednesday auctioned 14,375 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) seized from suspected smugglers attempting to transport the product to Cameroon.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the fuel was intercepted by the NCS special anti-smuggling taskforce, “Operation Whirlwind,” operating in the Calabar axis of Zone C.
National Coordinator of the taskforce in Zone C, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Abubakar Aliyu, said the Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seized product was N14.4 million.
According to Aliyu, operatives acting on credible intelligence dismantled a coordinated network involved in the illegal exportation of PMS to neighbouring Cameroon.
“During the operation, we intercepted 235 jerry-cans of 25 litres each and 40 drums of 200 litres each, amounting to a total volume of 14,375 litres, with a DPV of N14.4 million,” he said.
He explained that the seizures followed sustained surveillance and strategic interceptions across identified flashpoints, including Ikang, Bakassi, Ikom and Ikot-Idareka.
Aliyu noted that the products were being diverted for illegal export in violation of Nigeria’s laws regulating the distribution and movement of petroleum products.
He reiterated the NCS’s commitment to safeguarding the nation’s economy, protecting critical assets and combating smuggling and economic sabotage.
Also speaking, Comptroller Momoh Dauda of the River/Calabar Free Trade Zone/Akwa Ibom Area Command said smuggling undermines legitimate trade and government revenue.
Dauda described the success of Operation Whirlwind as evidence of effective intelligence-driven operations and inter-agency collaboration.
“Smuggling in any form is economic sabotage. It distorts the market, deprives government of critical revenue needed for national development, threatens local industries and, in some cases, poses serious security and health risks to our citizens.
“The NCS will not relent in confronting these illegal activities and will deal decisively, in accordance with the law, with anyone caught in the act,” he warned.