The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has auctioned 22,175 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) seized from suspected smugglers along the Lagos-Ogun border axis.
The auction was held on Monday at the Customs Training College, Ikeja, Lagos, following seizures made by officers of Operation Whirlwind.
The seized products comprised 887 jerry cans, each containing 25 litres of petrol, as well as five vehicles allegedly used to transport the products. The items were intercepted at smuggling flashpoints, including Imeko, Ilara, Ilaro, Idiroko, and Seme-Badagry.
The combined Duty Paid Value of the petrol and vehicles was put at about N32.1 million.
National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Deputy Comptroller Abubakar Aliyu, said the auction was conducted on the directive of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, in line with approved procedures for the transparent disposal of seized petroleum products.
Aliyu said the operation would continue to target the illegal diversion and cross-border movement of petroleum products, adding that Customs had intensified surveillance and intelligence gathering along identified smuggling routes.
He warned that Operation Whirlwind would remain “resolute, relentless, and intelligence-driven” in dismantling smuggling networks.
He also urged residents of border communities to provide credible information on suspicious movements of petroleum products, stressing that tackling smuggling required cooperation between government agencies and local communities.
Customs acknowledged the support of the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority in its anti-smuggling efforts.
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