Customs Foils Fuel Smuggling Syndicate, Seizes \u20a658.36m Worth of Petrol, Vehicles<\/p>\n
\nIn a major crackdown on trans-border fuel smuggling, operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have intercepted 35,535 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) worth \u20a658.36 million at notorious smuggling flashpoints across Lagos and Ogun States.<\/p>\n
The seizures were carried out by Operation Whirlwind, a tactical anti-smuggling unit of the Service, which stormed several fuel diversion routes in Ajilete, Ijoun, Ilaro, Badagry, Owode, Eree, and Obada Imeko\u2014all identified as hubs for petroleum product trafficking to the Republic of Benin.<\/p>\n
Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, at a press briefing in Lagos, described the operation as a \u201cstrategic offensive against economic saboteurs and fuel traffickers who threaten national energy security.\u201d<\/p>\n
Represented by Assistant Comptroller-General Hussein Ejibunu, he noted that the operation, driven by actionable intelligence, led to the seizure of 1,134 jerrycans (25\u201330 litres), 33 drums of petrol, all concealed for illegal export as well as six vehicles used to convey the fuel.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese products were meticulously hidden and prepared for cross-border trafficking,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the intercepted fuel and vehicles stands at \u20a658.36 million”<\/p>\n
Adeniyi stressed that the illicit fuel trade is draining government revenue and aggravating Nigeria\u2019s fragile energy supply chain, especially during ongoing distribution challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are dealing with highly organized criminal networks that exploit porous borders and weak surveillance. But with our renewed focus on intelligence-led enforcement, we are breaking their chains,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
In another broader sweep, the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, Ikeja, confiscated smuggled goods worth \u20a61.78 billion between June 3 and July 18, including narcotics, illegally imported rice, used tyres, vehicles, and frozen poultry products.<\/p>\n
Among the notable seizures were:<\/p>\n
3,500 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice (equivalent to six trailer loads)<\/p>\n
304 kg of Cannabis Sativa (Indian Hemp)<\/p>\n
7,900 litres of PMS in 316 jerrycans<\/p>\n
54 bags and 20 bales of used clothing<\/p>\n
41 sacks of used footwear<\/p>\n
14 units of used vehicles (\u201cTokunbo\u201d)<\/p>\n
148 used tyres, 42 used gas cylinders, and 95 cartons of frozen poultry<\/p>\n
Multiple air conditioning units and smuggled supermarket items<\/p>\n
Also seized were several misdeclared shipping containers, including:<\/p>\n
A 40-foot container (TRHU 83907321) loaded with used tyres<\/p>\n
20-foot container (ONEU241369) containing undeclared medicaments<\/p>\n
Two 40-foot containers (MSKU 4796036 and MAEU 9205708) loaded with contraband<\/p>\n
A container truck filled with used fridges, foreign supermarket items, and second-hand clothes<\/p>\n
Nine suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures. Six of which were granted administrative bail and the three others transferred to appropriate security agencies for prosecution.<\/p>\n
The seized cannabis was handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and received by Deputy Commander for Assets and Finance, Nasir Bungudu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Customs Foils Fuel Smuggling Syndicate, Seizes \u20a658.36m Worth of Petrol, Vehicles In a major crackdown on trans-border fuel smuggling, operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have intercepted 35,535 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) worth \u20a658.36 million at notorious smuggling flashpoints across Lagos and Ogun States. The seizures were carried out by Operation Whirlwind, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":147229,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,424,20],"tags":[1801,813,1800],"class_list":["post-147228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-security","category-the-nation","tag-bashir-adeniyi","tag-customs","tag-fuel-smuggling-syndicate"],"yoast_head":"\n