The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized 199,495 litres of smuggled fuel in Adamawa State as part of its ongoing crackdown on smuggling.
In a statement on Thursday, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said intelligence-led operations by NCS officers in the Adamawa/Taraba Command led to the interception of the fuel, valued at ₦199,495,000.
“The operatives of Operation Whirlwind successfully seized fuel being smuggled across borders using tankers, jerry cans, and drums,” he stated.
Adeniyi condemned the smugglers’ actions, describing them as a direct assault on Nigeria’s economy and energy sector.
“These economic saboteurs are determined to inflict hardship on law-abiding Nigerians, but let it be clearly understood that the Nigeria Customs Service remains resolute in its mandate to protect our national economy,” he said.
The customs chief explained that smugglers use various tactics, including night-time river crossings at Dasin Waterways, illegal storage facilities near border towns, and unauthorised dispensing points.
Customs operatives carried out targeted interceptions at key smuggling routes, including Mova, Dasin, the Galamba-Song axis, and the Mubi-Maiha corridor.
Adeniyi assured Nigerians that the NCS would continue to strengthen intelligence gathering and collaborate with security agencies to tackle smuggling.
“There will be no safe haven for them within our operational areas,” he said.
Following legal authorisation, the seized fuel was auctioned to Adamawa residents at ₦630 per litre in designated filling stations, while 25-litre jerry cans were sold for ₦10,000 each.