The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has increased its clampdown on fuel smuggling as operatives of Operation Whirlwind intercepted 34,470 liters of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, in Gembu and Kan-Iyaka border communities of Taraba State.
The two communities—Gembu, the headquarters of Sardauna Local Government Area, and Kan-Iyaka, a key transit route into Cameroon—have recently become hotbeds for illicit fuel smuggling activities.
Speaking in Jalingo during a public auction of the seized petrol and related items, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, confirmed the massive seizure. He revealed that a special-purpose transportation truck designed for smuggling was also confiscated in the swift operation.
Adeniyi explained that the operation was carried out in collaboration with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and supported technically by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
“Our inter-agency intelligence fusion center identified unusual movement patterns across the Dorofi and Kan-Iyaka axis between March 8 and 9, 2025,” he said.
“Acting on this intelligence mosaic, field teams executed a series of coordinated interceptions that disrupted what appears to be an emerging smuggling corridor.”
According to the Comptroller General, the operation led to the seizure of 1,149 jerry cans of PMS, each containing 30 liters, bringing the total volume to 34,470 liters.
“The seizure, including a sophisticated transportation vehicle valued at Four Million Naira (N4,000,000), represents a total Duty Paid Value of Thirty-Seven Million, Seven Hundred and Eighty Thousand, Six Hundred Naira (N37,780,600),” Adeniyi stated.
He further disclosed that the bulk interception took place in Gembu, which serves as a critical nodal point for smuggling operations, while 180 jerry cans and the transportation vehicle were intercepted while being moved towards the Kan-Iyaka border crossing.
Adeniyi described smuggling activities as a threat to national security, urging all security agencies and citizens to take interest in curbing the menace.
“Petrol drives the economy, and a scarcity of the product could slow down economic activities,” he warned