By Oluwabunmi Ogunjimi
The Nigeria Customs Service has moved to reinforce its crackdown on cross-border petroleum smuggling, auctioning 22,175 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) seized along the Lagos–Ogun border corridor.
The public auction, conducted Monday at the Customs Training College, Ikeja, involved petroleum products intercepted by officers of Operation Whirlwind during recent anti-smuggling operations.
The seizures comprised 887 jerry-cans, each containing 25 litres of petrol, as well as five vehicles used in conveying the products. The interceptions were made at identified smuggling flashpoints, including Imeko, Ilara, Ilaro, Idiroko and Seme-Badagry.
The Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seized petroleum products and vehicles was put at about ₦32 million.
Speaking at the auction, the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Raphael Aliyu, said the exercise, conducted on the directive of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, demonstrated the Service’s commitment to transparency and the lawful disposal of seized petroleum products.
Aliyu described Operation Whirlwind as a targeted anti-smuggling initiative designed to check the diversion and illegal movement of petroleum products across Nigeria’s borders.
He said: “The operation was also aimed at protecting Nigeria’s economic interests and strengthening national energy security by ensuring that products intended for domestic consumption were not illegally exported.”
According to him, Customs has intensified surveillance, intelligence gathering and enforcement along routes identified as channels for petroleum diversion and cross-border smuggling.
He said the Service would sustain its crackdown, warning smugglers that the operation would remain “resolute, relentless and intelligence-driven.”
Aliyu said Customs would continue to identify, intercept and dismantle smuggling networks, while suspects would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
He commended the officers of Operation Whirlwind Zone A for their efforts and acknowledged the support of the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
The Customs coordinator also urged residents of border communities to provide intelligence on suspicious movements of petroleum products, stressing that combating smuggling required the collective efforts of government agencies and local communities.
