The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says its operatives of Operation Whirlwind have intensified its fight against fuel smuggling, leading to a major crackdown on smugglers of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, in Gembu and Kan-Iyaka border communities of Taraba State.
Gembu, the administrative center of Sardauna Local Government Area (LGA), and Kan-Iyaka, a key transit route into Cameroon, have gained a reputation for being hotspots of illegal fuel smuggling.
During a public auction of seized goods in Jalingo, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed that 34,470 liters of petrol were intercepted from smugglers in a swift operation.
He said Customs operatives also seized a special-purpose transportation truck used for smuggling, adding that the operation was carried out in partnership with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and with technical support from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
“Our inter-agency intelligence fusion center detected unusual movement patterns along the Dorofi and Kan-Iyaka axis between March 8 and 9, 2025. Based on this intelligence, field teams carried out a series of coordinated interceptions that effectively disrupted what seems to be an emerging smuggling route,” he stated.
“As a result of these intelligence-driven actions, we seized 1,149 jerry cans of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), each containing 30 liters, totaling 34,470 liters.
“The operation also led to the confiscation of a sophisticated transportation vehicle, valued at Four Million Naira (₦4,000,000), bringing the total Duty Paid Value to Thirty-Seven Million, Seven Hundred and Eighty Thousand, Six Hundred Naira (₦37,780,600).
“The bulk of the interception took place in Gembu, a key strategic point, while 180 jerry cans and the transport vehicle were seized as they were being moved toward the Kan-Iyaka border crossing.”
The Customs Comptroller General emphasized that smugglers pose a significant threat to the nation’s security and should be of concern to all security agencies.
He further urged the residents of the state and other stakeholders to cooperate with the government to safeguard the progress made in the petroleum distribution system for local consumption.
