Customs Intercepts Boats, 184,000 Litres of PMS in Adamawa
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has recorded major breakthroughs in its renewed clampdown on petroleum product smuggling in Adamawa State, disrupting illegal PMS supply chains believed to be fuelling insecurity and undermining the nation’s economic stability.
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, 4 December 2025, at the Customs House in Yola, the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Assistant Comptroller-General Kolapo Oladeji, who represented the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, revealed that officers made 55 seizures within eight weeks, cutting off more than 184,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) destined for smuggling networks. Several boats used to transport the product across border routes were also intercepted.
Oladeji said operatives under Operation Whirlwind have intensified surveillance across high-risk corridors in Adamawa, effectively blocking smuggling routes historically linked to the supply of fuel to non-state actors and organised criminal groups operating around Nigeria’s border communities.
“Our mandate is clear: to protect Nigeria’s strategic resources and shut down all illegal supply chains that empower criminal elements,” he stated.
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He added that, in line with directives from the Comptroller-General, Customs personnel have tightened border controls, making it increasingly difficult for saboteurs to move PMS out of the country.
According to ACG Oladeji, the seized items carry a duty-paid value of N181.6 million and were intercepted across notorious flashpoints including Mubi–Sahuda, Farang–Belel, Gurin–Fufore, Maiha, Wuro-Bokki, Ribado waterways, Muninga, and Bakin Kogi.
The confiscated items comprised 2,642 jerrycans of 25-litre PMS, several 220-litre drums, and two large wooden boats used as transport vessels.
Oladeji emphasised that Operation Whirlwind was launched to strengthen national energy security, warning that the illegal diversion of PMS not only causes significant economic losses but also bolsters the operational capacity of armed groups and cross-border criminal syndicates.
Describing the smuggling network as “a grave threat to national stability,” he vowed that the NCS would continue to make border communities inhospitable for those aiding insecurity through illicit trade.
He commended residents of border communities for their intelligence support and urged them to remain alert, saying, “Your timely information has been invaluable. Security is a collective responsibility, and when you see something, say something.”
The ACG also acknowledged the media for its role in informing the public about the economic and security risks posed by PMS smuggling.
By PRNigeria
