LAGOS – The Nigeria Customs Service on Monday auctioned 22,175 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, seized along the Lagos-Ogun border corridor, as part of efforts to curb the smuggling of petroleum products out of the country.
The auction took place at the Customs Training College in Ikeja. It covered products intercepted by officers of Operation Whirlwind during recent anti-smuggling operations. The haul comprised 887 jerry cans of 25 litres each, along with five vehicles allegedly used to transport the fuel.
According to the Service, the seizures were made at known smuggling hotspots, including Imeko, Ilara, Ilaro, Idiroko and Seme-Badagry. The Duty Paid Value of the petrol and vehicles was put at about N32 million.
“Resolute, relentless”
The National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Raphael Aliyu, said the auction was conducted on the directive of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi. He said it demonstrated the Service’s commitment to transparency and the lawful disposal of seized goods.
Aliyu described Operation Whirlwind as a targeted effort to stop the diversion and illegal movement of petroleum products across Nigeria’s borders. He said it also aims to protect the country’s economic interests and strengthen national energy security by keeping fuel meant for domestic use from being smuggled abroad.
He said the Service had stepped up surveillance, intelligence gathering and enforcement along routes known for fuel diversion, and that the crackdown would continue. He promised the operation would remain “resolute, relentless and intelligence-driven.”
Customs, he added, would keep tracking, intercepting and dismantling smuggling networks, while suspects would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
Appeal to communities
Aliyu commended officers of Operation Whirlwind Zone A for their work and acknowledged the support of the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
He also urged residents of border communities to share intelligence on suspicious movements of petroleum products, stressing that fighting smuggling requires cooperation between government agencies and local people.
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