The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Operation Whirlwind Unit, has intensified its efforts to curb fuel smuggling, confiscating 34,470 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and a heavy-duty transportation truck in Gembu and Kan-Iyaka border communities of Taraba State.
Speaking in Jalingo during a public auction of the seized items, Comptroller General of the NCS, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, described the operation as intelligence-driven and aimed at disrupting a growing smuggling corridor.
Gembu, the administrative headquarters of Sardauna Local Government Area (LGA), and Kan-Iyaka, a major transit route into Cameroon, have reportedly become hotspots for the illegal movement of petroleum products.
Adeniyi disclosed that the inter-agency intelligence fusion center identified suspicious movement patterns in the Dorofi and Kan-Iyaka axis between March 8 and 9, 2025.
Acting swiftly on the intelligence, customs operatives carried out coordinated interceptions that resulted in the major seizure.
“The operational outcomes from these intelligence-led interventions led to the seizure of 1,149 jerry cans of PMS, each containing 30 litres, totaling 34,470 litres,” Adeniyi stated.
He further revealed that a specialized smuggling vehicle, valued at Four Million Naira (₦4,000,000), was also confiscated. The total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the operation stands at Thirty-Seven Million, Seven Hundred and Eighty Thousand, Six Hundred Naira (₦37,780,600).
According to him, most of the seized petrol was intercepted in Gembu, while 180 jerry cans and the truck were apprehended en route to Kan-Iyaka, near the Cameroon border.
Adeniyi described fuel smuggling as a serious threat to national security and called for increased collaboration among security agencies to tackle the menace.
He also urged residents and stakeholders to support government efforts to ensure the stability of petroleum distribution for local consumption.