KEY POINTS
- Nigeria Customs hands over seized fuel worth N40.7 million.
- Operation Whirlwind intercepted petrol across Lagos border routes.
- Seized fuel transferred to NMDPRA for investigation.
Nigeria’s Customs Service has handed over 1,650 jerrycans of petrol valued at N40.7 million to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, deepening a crackdown on cross-border fuel smuggling.
The seizure, announced Friday at the Customs Training College in Ikeja, followed nine weeks of surveillance across border communities spanning Badagry, Owode and Seme in Lagos State. Authorities said the products were intercepted along routes long associated with illicit petroleum movement.
Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi, represented by Deputy Comptroller General Abubakar Aliyu, said the confiscated Premium Motor Spirit formed part of intelligence-led enforcement under Operation Whirlwind, a special unit launched in 2024 to curb diversion of subsidised fuel.
Operation Whirlwind Intensifies Fuel Crackdown
According to Adeniyi, operatives seized 1,630 jerrycans of 25 litres each across Adodo, Seme, Oode Apa, Ajilete, Idjaun, Ilaro, Badagry, Idiroko and Imeko corridors. Officers also intercepted three tankers carrying 60,000, 45,000, and 49,000 litres respectively, bringing the total to 154,000 litres.
The Comptroller-General said intelligence reports guided the operation and that officers carried it out to protect Nigeria’s energy security and revenue base. He noted that authorities regulate the movement of petroleum products through strict procedures to prevent diversion and hoarding.
“These items contravened established standard operating procedures,” he said, warning that authorities will not allow sensitive border corridors to serve as conduits for economic sabotage.
Nigeria Customs Hands Over Seized Fuel
The Nigeria Customs Service formally transferred the seized fuel to NMDPRA for further investigation, citing inter-agency coordination. While Customs enforces border controls, the regulator oversees distribution and compliance in the downstream sector.
Grace Dauda, representing NMDPRA, said the agency’s mandate includes ensuring petroleum products refined or supplied domestically remain within the country. She urged public cooperation to deter smuggling.
Finally, fuel smuggling has persisted along Nigeria’s western borders, where price differentials create incentives for illegal exports. Authorities say enhanced coordination between enforcement and regulatory agencies is central to curbing the trade.
