The Nigeria Customs Service, through Operation Whirlwind, has seized about 635,132 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as PMS, in the last six months, from October to date, The PUNCH reports.
An analysis of various reports and statements from the NCS revealed that the products were intercepted in different parts of the country while being smuggled to neighbouring countries.
In October, The PUNCH reported that the NCS, through Operation Whirlwind, intercepted 1,980 jerrycans of PMS, equivalent to 49,500 litres and worth N80.4m, about to be smuggled to the Republic of Benin.
The former National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Kola Oladeji, an Assistant Controller-General of Customs (retd.), stated this while showcasing some of the seized contraband to journalists in Ikeja. Oladeji added that the contraband was intercepted at different flashpoints within Lagos and Ogun states over seven weeks.
Giving details of the seizures, Oladeji explained that the contraband was intercepted at various smuggling points within the Ajilete axis, Ijoun axis, Haro axis, Badagry axis, Owode Idiroko axis, Eree Ado-Odo, and Obada Imeko axis within Lagos and Ogun states.
“The operatives, acting on credible intelligence and in line with our renewed mandate, successfully intercepted a total of 1,980 jerrycans of premium motor spirit totalling 49,500 litres at various smuggling flashpoints within the Ajilete axis, Ijoun axis, Haro axis, Badagry axis, Owode Idiroko axis, Eree Ado-Odo, and Obada Imeko axis. The total duty-paid value of the intercepted petroleum products and the conveying vehicles is to the tune of ₦80.4m,” Oladeji said.
Also in October, the Kebbi Area Command of the NCS said it intercepted a total of 35,725 litres of PMS and other contraband items worth over ₦109.5m in a renewed crackdown on smuggling across the state’s borders.
A Comptroller of Customs, Mahmoud Ibrahim, disclosed this during his maiden press briefing at the command’s headquarters in Birnin Kebbi. Ibrahim said the seizures were made through joint operations with Operation Whirlwind.
“Operation Whirlwind intercepted 14,750 litres of PMS valued at ₦8.85m, while officers of the Kebbi Command seized another 20,975 litres worth ₦12.58m in various flashpoints, including Bagudo, Tsamiya, Kamba, Lolo, Bunza, and Zuru/Mahakala. These interceptions underscore our unwavering commitment to safeguard national resources and protect the economy from sabotage. Fuel smuggling deprives the nation of vital revenue and poses serious safety risks.”
In December, it was reported that the NCS, through Operation Whirlwind, seized 284,006 litres of PMS valued at more than ₦181m from suspected smugglers operating around Adamawa State over two months.
According to Operation Whirlwind, “Officers recorded 55 seizures amounting to a duty-paid value of ₦181,603,515. The confiscated products included 284,006 litres of PMS stored in 2,642 jerrycans of 25 litres each, 11,256 litres found in a filling station, and 485 drums of 220-litre capacity.”
The report added that the intercepted products were being ferried to neighbouring countries through border routes in Adamawa State, noting that two large wooden boats used for transportation were also seized.
In January, the Adamawa/Taraba Command of the NCS said that within four weeks, it seized 1,868 jerrycans of 25 and 30 litres, a drum containing about 50,495 litres of PMS, as well as 10 bales and two sacks of second-hand clothing.
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, represented by the Customs Area Controller of the command, Muhammed Aminu Mako, disclosed this during a briefing on the command’s anti-smuggling operations at the Customs House in Yola.
He said the items were intercepted at different border locations in Adamawa and Taraba while officers were carrying out their statutory duties to curb smuggling and protect the Nigerian economy.
In February, Adeniyi, handed over 1,650 jerrycans of PMS worth ₦40.7m to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority for further investigation. Addressing journalists at the handover ceremony held at the Customs Training College in Ikeja, Adeniyi said the seized fuel was intercepted at various locations, including Badagry, Owode, Seme, and other axes within Lagos State.
Represented by the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Deputy Comptroller-General Abubakar Aliyu, Adeniyi said the contraband was intercepted over nine weeks.
“In the space of nine weeks, our operatives intensified surveillance and enforcement across critical border communities. A total of 1,650 jerrycans of 25 litres each were seized along smuggling routes, including Adodo, Seme, Owode Apa, Ajilete, Idjaun, Ilaro, Badagry, Idiroko, and Imeko. The total duty-paid value of the PMS is ₦40.7m,” Adeniyi said.
He added that three tankers used to transport the fuel were carrying 60,000, 45,000, and 49,000 litres respectively, totalling 154,000 litres of PMS. According to Adeniyi, the interception was the result of intelligence-driven operations and the vigilance of Operation Whirlwind in safeguarding Nigeria’s economy and energy security.
He explained that the transportation and movement of petroleum products are governed by regulatory frameworks and standard operating procedures designed to prevent diversion, smuggling, hoarding, and economic sabotage.
Also in early February, the NCS, Federal Operations Unit Zone A, Ikeja, said it arrested eight suspects in connection with the seizure of contraband, including 20,700 litres of PMS valued at ₦3.3bn. The Customs Area Controller in charge of the unit, Aliyu Gambo, disclosed this while showcasing some of the seized items to journalists at the command in Ikeja.
Gambo explained that since assuming office, the unit has recorded 144 interceptions of different smuggled items. He added that the contraband was intercepted along the South-West axis within the last five weeks.
Giving details of the interceptions, Gambo said that within the period under review, 6,954 bags of foreign parboiled rice, each weighing 50kg and equivalent to 12 trailer loads, were seized.
“Others include 77 bags of foreign sugar, each weighing 50kg; 21 units of assorted tokunbo vehicles; 3,362 jerrycans of foreign vegetable oil, 25 litres each; 20,700 litres of premium motor spirit; and 915 bales of used clothing. Eight suspects were arrested in connection with the various seizures, which have a duty-paid value of ₦3.3bn,” Gambo said.
In March, the NCS, through Operation Whirlwind, announced that it seized 14,375 litres of PMS valued at about ₦14.4m in its latest operation amid a hike in the pump price of petrol nationwide. The PMS, which has a duty-paid value of ₦14.375m, was intercepted in Calabar, Cross River State, and was bound for Cameroon.
Last week in Ikeja, Lagos, the NCS, through Operation Whirlwind, auctioned 14,875 litres of PMS worth ₦14.875m to members of the public. Addressing journalists during the auction exercise at the Customs Training College, the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Abubakar Aliyu, a Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs, said that the products were intercepted while being exported to a neighbouring country.
He added that the products, which have a duty-paid value of ₦14.875m, were intercepted within the Lagos/Ogun axis, all within Zone A, over four weeks. Aliyu added that the Service continues to uphold its constitutional mandate of safeguarding the nation’s economy, protecting vital assets, and tackling all forms of smuggling and economic sabotage.
The coordinator stressed that the efforts of the operation have been intensified through improved surveillance, stronger intelligence operations, and more robust enforcement activities along major routes identified for the illegal diversion and cross-border smuggling of petroleum products
Giving details of the products, he said they were intercepted within the last four weeks. “Over the past four weeks, acting on credible intelligence, our operatives successfully dismantled a coordinated smuggling network involved in the illegal exportation of PMS to neighbouring countries.
“During this operation, a total of 595 jerrycans were intercepted, amounting to 14,875 litres. These seizures were made across key flashpoints, including Imeko, Ilara, Ilaro, Idiroko, and Seme-Badagry. The total duty-paid value of the seized products stands at ₦14.875m,” Aliyu said.
He explained that the products had been earmarked for illegal export to neighbouring countries in contravention of national laws regulating the distribution and movement of petroleum products.
Operation Whirlwind is a targeted anti-smuggling initiative designed to prevent the illegal movement of petroleum products across Nigeria’s borders. Its core aim is to safeguard the nation’s economic interests, strengthen energy security, and ensure that petroleum products intended for local consumption are not unlawfully diverted for export.