The Nigeria Customs Service has seized 108,775 litres of Premium Motor Spirit allegedly being smuggled through the River Benue into Cameroon—an operation officials say ranks among the largest anti–anti-fuel-smuggling busts in Adamawa State in recent months.
In a statement posted on X on Saturday, the Service explained that the interception took place in the early hours of Thursday, November 6, 2025, led by the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, ACG Kolapo Oladeji.
According to Oladeji, the breakthrough followed covert surveillance by a special tactical team positioned near the Ribadu Loading Bay, a route notorious for illegal fuel movements into Cameroon.
He said the Customs operatives moved in as the smugglers began loading the products onto a boat and ordered them to stop.
He added that, due to difficult terrain and limited visibility, officers focused on securing the fuel and preventing the vessel from escaping across the international waterway.
A subsequent sweep of the area, assisted by the North-Eastern Marine Command, uncovered another wooden boat already filled with drums and jerrycans of petrol.
Oladeji stated that both vessels were escorted to the Jimeta waterside in Yola, where the contents were offloaded, transferred into trucks, and taken to a secured Customs facility for documentation.
A detailed inspection showed the consignment consisted of 485 drums of 220 litres each and 83 jerrycans of 25 litres each, amounting to a total of 108,775 litres of PMS.
Because of the product’s highly flammable nature, he said a prompt public auction, in line with established procedures, had been proposed to the NCS Headquarters.
Oladeji noted that the operation highlights the Service’s reinforced efforts to combat cross-border smuggling, protect Nigeria’s economic interests, and regulate the movement of petroleum products, pointing out that smuggling PMS across northern and eastern waterways continues to endanger national energy security due to widespread profiteering in neighbouring countries.
