The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) disclosed that it has intercepted 245,370 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, valued at N238.1 million.
Disclosing this at a press conference in Lagos, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi said the seizures were made in less than three months as part of its ongoing anti-smuggling operation tagged “Operation Whirlwind.”
While commending the leader of the operations, Hussein Ejibuno, and his team for protecting the economy and national security, Adeniyi reiterated the service’s commitment to continue protecting Nigeria’s economic interests and ensuring that the benefits of government policies reached all citizens.
He added that each litre of petroleum product smuggled across the borders was a loss of revenue as much as it contributed to domestic scarcity, market instability and compromised energy security for the citizens.
“Our economic intelligence reveals that substantial price disparities across regional borders remain the fundamental catalyst for this illicit trade, fostering a profoundly lucrative black market that systematically undermines Nigeria’s economic sovereignty and national interests.
“Importantly, these figures exclude today’s report and seizures made through regular command structures and federal operations units.
“I have previously presented these operational successes in Adamawa state on January 30, where our officers intercepted 199,495 litres of petrol with a duty-paid value of N199,495,000. Also, in Kwara on February 17, 2025, with additional seizures of 45,875 liters of petrol worth NGN38,645,000,” he said.
He added that the steady momentum of ‘Operation Whirlwind’ was demonstrated by the commendable performance recorded in Zone A, which covered the Lagos and Ogun axes.