…intercepts PMS worth N197m
Adewale Adeniyi, Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, (NCS) has declared a total war against the smugglers of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), petrol out of the country, saying a combined diversion of over of 280,135 litres of PMS valued at about N197 million was recently intercepted by the Customs operatives.
Adewale, who stated this while addressing the newsmen on the activities of recently launched Operation Whirlwind in Yola, Adamawa State Capital, noted that such an illegal act raised
grave economic concerns, which constituted national economic sabotage that has broader implications on the national security of the country.
Adeniyi said, the huge evacuation of petroleum product in the country into neighbouring countries must be stopped and the activities of the smuggling rings must be dismantled and the perpetrators apprehended and brought to book, so that Nigerians could reap the benefits of President Bola Tinubu’s reforms which he said, smuggling activities had deprived many Nigerians.
Adewale noted that between April and May 2024, Borno and Kebbi States recorded 76% and 59% increases in evacuation of PMS, ranking among the top three States in the country on a year-on-year basis (May 2023 and May 2024) while Sokoto and Taraba States recorded the most substantial increases in evacuations, with 247% and 234% increases, respectively, and border States like Katsina and Kebbi also recorded more than 50% increases in evacuation.
He said, there are abounding evidence of descrepancies in evacuation patterns especially in States at the border region between Nigeria and other neighbouring countries that had raised red flags which the service had tracked and gathered sufficient evidence and credible intelligence to suggest an unusual upscale of the movement of PMS suggestive of smuggling activities.
