The Nigeria Customs Services has intensified the arrest of smugglers of premium motor spirit (PMS) across Nigeria’s border in Adamawa State.
The Adamawa/Taraba Area Command Comptroller, Garba Bashir, said yesterday in Yola that the agency takes a firm stance against smuggling activities, emphasising that smugglers will find no breathing space under his watch.
“In Adamawa and Taraba States, smugglers will not have fresh air. We have started strangling them, and we will continue to strangle and suffocate them until smuggling activities are purged out of the states,” the comptroller declared firmly.
Providing details of recent interceptions, Bashir highlighted a series of successful operations that have dealt a significant blow to smuggling cartels in the region.
He noted that on March 8, Customs operatives intercepted a Toyota Corolla vehicle at the Fufore-Gurin International Border. He added that the car was fully loaded with petrol and was about to be smuggled across the border to a neighbouring country.
Bashir added that on March 13, acting on intelligence, customs officers stormed the Jimeta Waterside (Bakin Kogi) along the River Benue, where they discovered a massive cache of fuel—240 drums, each filled with 220 litres of petrol—ready for illegal transportation to Cameroon.
He added that in another operation on March 14, customs officers carried out an intelligence-led operation on the Fufore-Gurin axis, resulting in the seizure of 425 jerrycans of petrol, each with a 25-litre capacity.
He added that, in total, a staggering 70,175 litres of petrol were confiscated within the short period alongside the seized vehicle.
“These operations have significantly disrupted the illicit fuel trade and demonstrated the customs agency’s growing effectiveness in border security enforcement,” he said.
The comptroller attributed these recent successes to enhanced intelligence gathering, the use of advanced technology, capacity-building initiatives, and a coordinated approach to border security.
He acknowledged the unwavering support of the NCS leadership under Adeniyi, which has played a crucial role in boosting operational efficiency. Additionally, Bashir commended the collaboration between customs and other security agencies, which has proven instrumental in achieving these results.
He sternly warned smugglers, urging them to abandon their illegal activities before the law catches up with them. “The Nigeria Customs Service is out to facilitate legitimate trade and is ever ready to crack down on smuggling cartels for the nation’s economy to have fresh air,” he asserted.
