The Nigeria Customs Service, within one month this year, intercepted 800 jerry cans of 25 litres capacity of petroleum, including a truckload of 33,000 litres of petroleum worth N53 million along Kwara State border towns.
Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Bashir Adeniyi disclosed this yesterday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
Adeniyi, who spoke during his familiarisation tour of the Kwara State command of NCS, said that the seizures were made differently at Baruten, Kaiama forest, Ilesha-Baruba, and Gure border towns, among others.
Adeniyi said the feat complimented the agency’s ongoing crackdown on smugglers in the country. The seizure occurred from mid-January to February 15, 2025.
He described the Kwara border with the Benin Republic as a strategic axis, adding that the area would witness a more significant presence of senior officers more often than before.
According to him, NCS has also achieved significant results with its “Operation Whirlwind” launch.
These achievements, he noted, also include the “sealing of 12 retail outlets for smuggling activities, seizure of 460,000 litres of PMS destined for neighbouring countries, confiscation of 23 means of conveyance and over 8,000 kegs of PMS.
He added that seven suspects had been arrested, and three marketers were facing prosecution for regulatory offences since the operation commenced.
Adeniyi said the sophistication of smugglers demanded more than a conventional approach, adding that the persistent challenge of petroleum smuggling continues to pose a serious challenge to the nation’s economy.
“Since the government implemented the fuel subsidy removal, we have observed an alarming trend in sophisticated smuggling operations across our borders.
“This is despite the expectation that fuel subsidies will bridge the gap. We still experience many disparities when we compare the fuel prices in our neighbouring countries with what we have here.
“Petroleum prices in Nigeria now are below N1,000. Even though this figure seems to be higher, it is significantly lower compared to other prices in neighbouring countries like Benin Republic and Cameroon, which goes for around N1700 and N2,000, respectively, in our local currency”, he stated.
He said despite “our efforts to curb these activities collaboratively, the lucrative illegal economic activity has continued to incentivise more sophisticated smuggling operations in the borders.’
He warned those involved in smuggling activities to shun the act or face the full wrath of the law.
Earlier, the NCS Comptroller, Kwara Area Command, Faith Ojeifo, had said the command would ensure a total fight against the activities of smugglers in the state.
He urged residents of border communities to support the service by providing intelligence information on smugglers’ activities.
