The Nigeria Customs Service has dealt a significant blow to petroleum smugglers operating across the country, generating over N500 million in revenue through targeted sting operations under the special task force team, Operation Whirlwind.
The operations, described by border analysts as a “clinical crackdown,” have significantly disrupted smuggling networks, particularly in border areas like Adamawa and Taraba states, where fuel diversion and cross-border smuggling have been rampant.
Speaking at a press conference in Yola on Wednesday, the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Controller Husaini Ejibunu, highlighted the impact of the task force’s activities between October and November.
He revealed that the team intercepted petroleum products worth over N86.7 million within the Adamawa and Taraba command alone.
Ejibunu explained that the seized items included, 1,124 jerry cans of PMS (25, 40, and 60 litres capacities), 53 drums of PMS (200 litres capacity each), 21,000 litres of PMS transported in two fuel tankers,Five vehicles and two motorcycles used for smuggling.
In total, the task force seized 71,965 litres of petrol, intended for illegal export to neighbouring Cameroon, before they were intercepted.
The team also prevented the diversion of 14 fuel tankers carrying PMS. Of these, 13 were handed over to the National Mainstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority in Yola, while one was transferred to NMDPRA officials in Taraba State.
Ejibunu credited the success of the operation to the logistical and strategic support provided by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi Bashir.
He stressed that the crackdown has not only disrupted smuggling rings but has also helped stabilise fuel supply and pricing in Adamawa State, discouraging artificial scarcity caused by illicit trade.
“It is evident that the anti-smuggling efforts of Operation Whirlwind have allowed Adamawa State to witness stable and sufficient PMS supply, reducing scarcity and preventing price instability,” Ejibunu noted.
He added that seized fuel would be auctioned to the public, with proceeds remitted into the Federal Government’s account, reinforcing the Customs Service’s commitment to economic stability and national development.
In his remarks, the Controller of Adamawa and Taraba Command, Garba Bashir, reassured Nigerians of the Customs’ unrelenting efforts to eradicate smuggling activities in the region.
He emphasized the importance of protecting Nigeria’s economic interests by curbing illegal cross-border trade.
