The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Operation Whirlwind unit has intensified efforts to combat fuel smuggling, resulting in a significant crackdown on smugglers of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, in the Gembu and Kan-Iyaka border communities of Taraba State.
Gembu, located in Sardauna Local Government Area (LGA), and Kan-Iyaka, a transit route into Cameroon, have been identified as hubs for illicit fuel smuggling activities.
During a public auction of seized items in Jalingo, the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed that the operation led to the confiscation of 34,470 liters of petrol and the seizure of a special-purpose transportation truck used for smuggling.
Adeniyi further highlighted that the operation was conducted in collaboration with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and with technical support from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
“Our inter-agency intelligence fusion center detected unusual movement patterns along the Dorofi and Kan-Iyaka axis between March 8 and 9, 2025,” Adeniyi stated.
“Acting on this intelligence mosaic, field teams executed a series of coordinated interceptions that disrupted what appears to be an emerging smuggling corridor.
“The operational outcomes from these intelligence-led interventions led to seizure of 1,149 jerry cans of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), each containing 30 liters, yielding a total volume of 34,470 liters.
“The seizure, including a sophisticated transportation vehicle valued at Four Million Naira (N4,000,000), represents a total Duty Paid Value of Thirty-Seven Million, Seven Hundred and Eighty Thousand, Six Hundred Naira (N37,780,600).
“The bulk interception occurred in Gembu, which is one of the critical nodal point – while 180 jerry cans and the transportation vehicle were intercepted during active movement toward the Kan-iyaka border crossing.”
Adeniyi also emphasized that smugglers are threats to the nation’s national security and should be of interest to all security agencies.
He urged residents of the state and other stakeholders to cooperate with the government to ensure the gains recorded in the petroleum distribution system for local consumption is not reversed.
He said, “petrol drives the economy and a scarcity of the product could slow down economic activities.”