The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized 245,370 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, with an estimated value of N238.1 million.
According to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, the seizures were carried out within a span of less than three months as part of the agency’s ongoing anti-smuggling initiative, “Operation Whirlwind.”
Adeniyi also highlighted additional recent seizures made by the operation at the Federal Operations Unit in Ikeja.
He attributed the smuggling of petrol to the significant price differences between Nigeria and its neighboring countries, which drive smugglers to divert fuel for higher profits across the borders.
“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.
Adeniyi provided a breakdown of major interceptions under Operation Whirlwind which include:
- Adamawa State (Jan. 30, 2025): 199,495 litres of petrol seized, valued at ₦199.5 million.
- Kwara State (Feb. 17, 2025): 45,875 litres of petrol seized, worth ₦38.6 million.
- Lagos and Ogun (Jan. 11 – Feb. 23, 2025): 28,300 litres of petrol intercepted along key smuggling routes.
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.
He 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.
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.