The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), through Operation Whirlwind, has intensified surveillance, intelligence gathering and enforcement operations along major smuggling routes in response to the persistent activities of fuel smugglers.
The National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Deputy Comptroller Lucky Aliyu, disclosed this during the public auction of 20,500 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol.
The patrol was intercepted from suspected smugglers operating along the Lagos-Ogun border corridor.
The auction, held at the Nigeria Customs Service Training College in Ikeja, Lagos, was conducted in line with the Service’s commitment to transparency, accountability and due process in the disposal of seized petroleum products.
Aliyu said; “the auction formed part of the Service’s strategy to return seized products to the legitimate market, promote transparency and protect government revenue.”
“The illegal diversion and cross-border smuggling of petroleum products deprive the government of critical revenue, distort the domestic supply chain and create artificial scarcity. The Nigeria Customs Service remains committed to sustaining intelligence-driven operations to dismantle smuggling networks,” he said.
Aliyu attributed the successes recorded by Operation Whirlwind to strong inter-agency collaboration coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), with technical support from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
He called on border communities and members of the public to support security agencies by providing credible information, stressing that safeguarding the nation’s economy and energy security is a shared responsibility.
Aliyu further affirmed that Operation Whirlwind was established as a strategic national initiative to combat the illegal diversion and cross-border smuggling of petroleum products, protect Nigeria’s energy security, safeguard government revenue and ensure that fuel intended for domestic consumers reaches legitimate end-users.
“Petroleum smuggling remains a serious threat to Nigeria’s economic stability and national security. It deprives the government of critical revenue, distorts the domestic supply chain, encourages artificial scarcity, fuels criminal enterprises and undermines the gains of ongoing reforms in the petroleum sector,” he said.
The disposal process was conducted in the presence of relevant government agencies, security organisations, civil society groups and members of the media to ensure transparency and credibility.
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