The Adamawa/Taraba Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 199,495 litres of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) from smugglers around the Cameroon borders.
Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi who conducted journalists round the seized items said it was the third round of seizures since the establishment of the Operation Whirlwind in the state in May last year.
Adeniyi said the seized product which were loaded in drums and Jerry cans were being illegally moved from the two states and out of the country.
He added that Customs officers seized the indicated total volume of petrol in the course of intelligence-driven operations across the Zone D axis covering Adamawa/Taraba command.
The Customs boss said the seized product was being diverted through various concealment methods and smuggling techniques.
He gave the breakdown of the seizures as four fuel tankers carrying 97,000 litres of petrol; 1,363 Jerry cans of 25 litres each and totalling 34,075 litres; and 311 drums of 220 litres each, totalling 68,420 litres.
“Officers operating in high-risk terrains identified as smuggling corridors intercepted these products through operations targeting sophisticated smuggling attempts,” he explained.
The CG assured that the Nigeria Customs Service, through the Operations Whirlwind is determined to stop economic saboteurs from diverting strategic national assets like petrol meant for consumption within the country.