Men of the Kwara State Command of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), have intercepted 64 drums loaded with petroleum in Bokoro, Baruten local government area of the state.
The spokesman of NCS in the state, Mr Zakari Chado, disclosed this yesterday at the public relations conference of the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) held at Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin.
The event themed: “Advancing Security in Nigeria within Social Context: Student Safety Matters,” was organised in honour of Kwara State police commissioner, Mr Victor Olaiya.
Chado noted that the seizure of the drums of petroleum came at a time the citizens were struggling to obtain the commodity at affordable price.
He, however, regretted that smuggling persisted in the country owing to the involvement of the youths.
“We seized 64 drums of PMS somewhere in Bokoro axis of Baruten local government area of Kwara State. This is happening at a time that Nigeria is groaning over fuel scarcity. These people are actually smuggling the product out of the country. And I can tell you that most of those who perpetrate fuel smuggling are the youths”, he said.
In his remarks, the state commissioner of Police, Mr Victor Olaiya, said security and development are inseparable, saying that no investor would be willing to invest in an atmosphere laced with fear and anxiety.
He added that security is sin qua non for peace across the society just as he maintained that schools would automatically be shutdown whenever crisis erupted.
The police commissioner cautioned the students against joining the syndicate which specialises in misinforming the public, urging them to verify information before spreading it.
He also admonished the youth to be obedient at all times and avoid unbridled quest for quick and ill-gotten wealth.
