The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 245,370 liters of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, valued at N238.1 million in less than three months as part of its ongoing anti-smuggling operation tagged “Operation Whirlwind.”
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, disclosed this at a press conference in Lagos, where he highlighted recent seizures made by the operation at the Federal Operations Unit in Ikeja.
Adeniyi attributed the smuggling of petrol to significant price disparities across Nigeria’s borders, which encourage smugglers to divert fuel to neighboring countries for higher profits.
“Our economic intelligence reveals that substantial price disparities across regional borders remain the fundamental catalyst for this illicit trade, fostering a profoundly lucrative black market that systematically undermines Nigeria’s economic sovereignty and national interests,” he explained.
Seizures across the country
Adeniyi provided a breakdown of major interceptions under Operation Whirlwind which include:
- Adamawa State (Jan. 30, 2025): 199,495 liters of petrol seized, valued at ₦199.5 million.
- Kwara State (Feb. 17, 2025): 45,875 liters of petrol seized, worth ₦38.6 million.
- Lagos and Ogun (Jan. 11 – Feb. 23, 2025): 28,300 liters of petrol intercepted along key smuggling routes.
Combatting a well-organized smuggling network
The Customs boss described the fuel smuggling trade as a systematic attempt to undermine Nigeria’s economic foundations.
“While the government has implemented comprehensive market reforms and supply chain enhancements to stabilize the domestic petroleum sector, these criminal elements remain determined to exploit regional economic disparities for illicit profit,” he said.
- Adeniyi added that the criminal networks involved in the illicit trade are constantly refining their smuggling techniques to evade law enforcement.
“While the government has implemented comprehensive market reforms and supply chain enhancements to stabilize the domestic petroleum sector, criminal networks remain determined to exploit regional economic disparities for illicit profit.
“These unscrupulous elements have shown remarkable adaptability, constantly refining their methods to circumvent our enforcement measures.
“What we are witnessing is not just routine customs violations but a systematic attempt to undermine Nigeria’s economic foundations through the diversion of strategic national resources,” he said.
He commended the Leader of Operations Whirlwind, Assistant Comptroller-General Hussein Ejibuno, and his team for their efforts in protecting Nigeria’s economy and national security.
Two suspects arrested
As part of the recent operations, Customs officers seized three vehicles used for fuel smuggling and arrested two suspects, who are currently facing trial.
Ejibuno reaffirmed his team’s commitment to dismantling smuggling networks and praised the Customs management for supporting their operations.
The NCS emphasized that it will continue to strengthen intelligence gathering, inter-agency collaboration, and border patrols to curb fuel smuggling and safeguard Nigeria’s economic interests.
