By Muh'd Shafi'u Saleh Following a series of intelligence-driven operations across the Zone 'D' axis, covering the Adamawa...
By Muh'd Shafi'u Saleh
Following a series of intelligence-driven operations across the Zone 'D' axis, covering the Adamawa/Taraba Command, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), under Operation Whirlwind, has presented its significant achievements in these states.
The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, made this known during a press briefing in Yola on Thursday. He stated that barely two weeks ago, the service reported a total seizure of 1,716,656 litres of petroleum products for the year ending 2024.
He recalled that the Nigeria Customs Service, with the support of the Office of the National Security Adviser, established a special operation, Operation Whirlwind, in collaboration with the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA). This strategic alliance has intensified surveillance and enforcement operations across critical border corridors.
He further stated that their gallant officers have successfully intercepted and seized a total of 199,495 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) being diverted through various concealment methods and smuggling techniques. The Duty Paid Value (DPV) of these seizures amounts to One Hundred and Ninety-Nine Million, Four Hundred and Ninety-Five Thousand Naira (N199,495,000). These tactical operations resulted in the seizure of four fuel tankers carrying 97,000 litres, 1,363 jerry cans of 25 litres each, totaling 34,075 litres, and 311 drums of 220 litres each, totaling 68,420 litres.
Our vigilant officers, operating in high-risk terrains, intercepted these products through well-coordinated operations targeting sophisticated smuggling attempts. These included nighttime river crossing operations at Dasin Waterways, where large-scale maritime smuggling using sophisticated boat networks was disrupted. Other key enforcement actions include the discovery and dismantling of illegal storage facilities within 500 meters to 1 kilometre of border communities, interception of fuel tankers attempting to conceal products in unauthorized dispensing points serving as smuggling reservoirs, prevention of cross-border movement through unofficial routes, particularly along the Galamba-Song axis, 8km from the Cameroon border, and strategic waterways interdiction, including the seizure of a major shipment containing 311 drums and multiple jerry cans.
These tactical interventions were executed at identified smuggling corridors, including Mova, Dasin, Galamba-Song axis, Mubi-Maiha axis, and critical waterways along our international borders with Cameroon. The repeated attempts by economic saboteurs to divert strategic national assets clearly demonstrate their determination to inflict hardship on law-abiding Nigerians. The Nigeria Customs Service remains resolute and unshakable in its mandate to protect the national economy.
These seizures should not only be considered in terms of the quantity of products recovered but also as a reflection of the unwavering commitment to safeguarding national strategic assets, ensuring petroleum products meant for domestic consumption reach their intended destinations, protecting government revenue, and maintaining the integrity of our borders.
The service will continue to deploy additional resources and adopt even more stringent measures to ensure that these saboteurs find no safe haven within operational areas. It will continuously adapt strategies, enhance intelligence gathering capabilities, and strengthen partnerships with other security agencies to combat these economic saboteurs effectively. The Comptroller General concluded by stating emphatically that there will be no safe haven for smugglers in their operational areas, and they shall maintain this momentum and continue to justify the confidence reposed in them by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration.
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