The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says its operatives of the Operation Whirlwind have intensified its fight against fuel smuggling, leading to a major crackdown on smugglers of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, in Gembu and Kan-Iyaka border communities of Taraba State.
Gembu, the headquarters of Sardauna Local Government Area (LGA), and Kan-Iyaka, a transit route into Cameroon, have become notorious for illicit fuel smuggling activities.
Speaking in Jalingo during a public auction of the seized items, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, revealed that a total of 34,470 liters of petrol were confiscated from smugglers in a swift operation.
He said Customs operatives also seized a special-purpose transportation truck used for smuggling, adding that the operation was carried out in partnership with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and with technical support from 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. Acting on this intelligence mosaic, field teams executed a series of coordinated interceptions that disrupted what appears to be an emerging smuggling corridor,” he stated.
“The operational outcomes from these intelligence-led interventions led to seizure of 1,149 jerry cans of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), each containing 30 liters, yielding a total volume of 34,470 litres.
“The seizure, including a sophisticated transportation vehicle valued at Four Million Naira (₦4,000,000), represents a total Duty Paid Value of Thirty-Seven Million, Seven Hundred and Eighty Thousand, Six Hundred Naira (₦37,780,600).
“The bulk interception occurred in Gembu, which is one of the critical nodal point – while 180 jerry cans and the transportation vehicle were intercepted during active movement toward the Kan-iyaka border crossing.”
The Customs boss stressed that smugglers are threats to the nation’s national security and should be of interest to all security agencies.
He also called on residents of the state and other stakeholders to cooperate with the government to ensure the gains recorded in the petroleum distribution system for local consumption are not reversed.
