Adamawa Customs seize N199m smuggled petrol
The Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, has declared total war on smugglers across the country, saying that their illegal activities are threats to the national economy.
The CGC, while also reiterating confidence in the operations of Operations Wirhl Wind, insisted that the newly created arm of the Customs Service will continue to tackle the menace of smugglers.
Arewa PUNCH reports that the Operations Whirl Wind is the newly created and specially trained arm of the Nigeria Customs Service deployed to combat all forms of smuggling activities in the different parts of the country.
While speaking in Yola on Thursday at the Adamawa and Taraba Area Command, Adeniyi disclosed that the command had seized Premium Motor Spirit worth N199,495,000 million naira.
“Following the intense intelligence-driven operations across the Zone ‘D Axis covering the Adamawa/Taraba Command, I am pleased to present details of our recent seizures under operations.
“Our men successfully intercepted and seized a total of 199,495 litres of Premium Motor Spirit being diverted through various concealment methods and smuggling techniques. The Duty Paid Value (DPV) of these seizures amount to One Hundred and Ninety-Nine Million, Four Hundred and Ninety-Five Thousand Naira (N199,495,000), “he stated.
“The items seized included Four (4) fuel tankers carrying 97,000 litres; 1,363 jerry cans of 25 litres each, totalling 34,075 litres; 311 drums of 220 litres each, totalling 68,420 litres.
“Our vigilant officers, operating in high-risk terrains, intercepted these products through well-coordinated operations targeting sophisticated smuggling attempts, including,” he declared
Adeniyi further pointed out that strategic waterways interdiction was successful as his men made the seizure of a major shipment containing 311 drums and multiple jerry cans.
He added, “In a clear demonstration of our sustained operational momentum, barely two weeks ago, we reported a total seizure of 1,716,656 litres of petroleum products for the year ended 2024. It should be emphasised that these products intended for domestic use were being systematically diverted to neighbouring countries through illegal routes and waterways.”
The Comptroller General maintained that under his leadership, he will continue to deploy additional resources and adopt more stringent measures to ensure that saboteurs find no safe haven within his areas of operation.
“We will continue to adapt our strategies, enhance our intelligence gathering capabilities, and strengthen our partnerships with other security agencies to combat these economic saboteurs effectively,” he warned.
The CGC stressed that the Nigeria Customs Service has mounted new cameras in the headquarters to monitor all the borders from the Abuja office.
“Some of the seizures made in Adamawa were captured by the camera from Abuja, and the officials of operation whirlwind in Adamawa were communicated to follow up and make the arrests.
“We are going to employ different strategies to fight the evil spirit called smugglers,” he assured the nation.
