Products, five vehicles valued at N32m
By Godwin Oritse
LAGOS — The Nigeria Customs Service has auctioned 22,175 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, seized along the Lagos-Ogun border corridor as part of its efforts to curb cross-border petroleum smuggling.
The public auction was conducted on Monday at the Customs Training College, Ikeja, and involved petroleum products intercepted by officers of Operation Whirlwind during recent anti-smuggling operations.
The seizures comprised 887 jerry cans, each containing 25 litres of petrol, and five vehicles allegedly used to convey the products.
The interceptions were made at identified smuggling flashpoints, including Imeko, Ilara, Ilaro, Idiroko and Seme-Badagry.
The Duty Paid Value of the seized petroleum products and vehicles was put at about N32 million.
Speaking at the auction, the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Raphael Aliyu, said the exercise, conducted on the directive of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, demonstrated the Service’s commitment to transparency and the lawful disposal of seized petroleum products.
Aliyu described Operation Whirlwind as a targeted anti-smuggling initiative aimed at curbing the diversion and illegal movement of petroleum products across Nigeria’s borders.
He said the operation was also designed to protect Nigeria’s economic interests and strengthen national energy security by ensuring that products meant for domestic consumption were not illegally exported.
According to him, the Customs Service has intensified surveillance, intelligence gathering and enforcement along routes identified as channels for petroleum diversion and cross-border smuggling.
Aliyu said the Service would sustain the crackdown, warning that the operation would remain “resolute, relentless and intelligence-driven.”
He said Customs would continue to identify, intercept and dismantle smuggling networks, adding that suspects would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The coordinator commended officers of Operation Whirlwind Zone A for their efforts and acknowledged the support of the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
Aliyu also urged residents of border communities to provide intelligence on suspicious movements of petroleum products, stressing that combating smuggling required the collective efforts of government agencies and local communities.
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