Troops of Nigerian Army have intercepted and arrested eight members of a syndicate smuggling fuel from Nigeria to the Ambazonian rebels in the Republic of Cameroon to facilitate terrorists’ activities.
A statement by the Nigerian Army on its official X handle (formerly Twitter) said the suspects were arrested during a sting operation on Friday May 25, 2024 along the Abong-Kurmi Baissa Road in Taraba State, between Nigeria and Cameroon border.
The suspects identified as Jafaru Adamu, 32; Auwal Haruna, 34; Umar Dahiru; Mubarak Abdullahi, 20; Saidu Musa, 26; Bashiru Ibrahim, 18; Danlami Yahuaza, 19, and 19-year-old Abubakar Abdullahi were caught on their way to the border with large quantity of fuel.
The Army also revealed that the culprits confessed to smuggling and selling fuel to the Cameroonian Ambazonian rebels who are prohibited from entering Nigeria to purchase the product directly following preliminary investigation.
“The suspects revealed that they have previously bought fuel from Gassol and Bali local government areas at the rate of ₦950 per litre.
“However, they discovered that in Takum LGA the fuel was sold at ₦800 per liter, prompting them to source for the product in Takum.
“At the time of their arrest, the suspects were traveling in three J5 vehicles, carrying 605 jerry cans, each with a capacity of 40 liters, totaling 24,200 liters of fuel. The fuel, valued at ₦800 per liter, amounts to a total worth of Nineteen Million Three Hundred and Sixty Thousand Naira (₦19,360,000) only,” the Army said.
It said further investigation led to the identification of other members of the smuggling syndicate, including Alhaji Abdulmumini, Jafaru Adamu, Babilu Zubairu, Sule Abong, and Mark Akawu, who is reportedly the chairman of the syndicate based in Abong, a border community between Kurmi LGA of Taraba State and the Republic of Cameroon.
