Customs Intercepts Smuggled Petroleum Products Worth N33.99m in Adamawa
From Umar Dankano, Yola
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adamawa/Taraba Area Command, has intercepted smuggled petroleum products valued at N33,994,900 in Adamawa and Taraba states.
Area Controller, Comptroller Garba Bashir Bature, disclosed this during a press conference in Yola on Monday. He said the seizures, made possible through credible intelligence, involved multiple operations across identified smuggling routes.
According to Bature, the confiscated items included 36,435 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), packed in 1,194 jerry cans plus two drums of PMS, as well as 115 jerry cans of AGO of various capacities (25L, 30L, and 220L).
The seizures were carried out at different flashpoints, including the Likitatba–Gembu, Mubi–Sahuda, Malabu–Belel, Girei–Wuro Bokki, Ganye–Toungo, and Damare/Gurin–Fufore axes along the Adamawa and Taraba frontiers. Some items, seized in Gembu, were still being transported to the command headquarters due to difficult terrain.
Bature revealed that within three weeks, the command recorded 28 separate seizures, with the same duty paid value of N33,994,900.
He stressed that the command’s anti-smuggling efforts aim to safeguard national security, protect domestic industries, and block the supply chains of smugglers.
“These petroleum products will be auctioned to the public in line with the NCS Standard Operating Procedure and the NCS Act 2023, with proceeds remitted to the Federation Account,” Bature stated.
He warned smugglers to desist from illegal activities or face the full weight of the law, assuring that legitimate petroleum marketers and supply chain operators would be protected from intimidation or illicit confiscation.
Bature commended the NCS management, under Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi, for providing the logistics and support needed to effectively discharge the command’s duties.
