The Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted a truck loaded with diverted cooking gas and auctioned 6,125 litres of smuggled petrol seized at flashpoints in Cross River State.
The seizures were unveiled at the Customs House, Calabar, by Operation Whirlwind, Zone C, in what its new National Coordinator described as a warning to economic saboteurs ahead of the festive season.
A truck with registration number KAM 663 XA, conveying diverted Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), was handed over to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) for regulatory action.
Also auctioned were 245 jerry cans of 25 litres each — totalling 6,125 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) valued at ₦6,125,000 — intercepted at Ikang Road (Bakassi), Ibaka and Mfum.
Speaking at the event, the National Coordinator, DC Mahmood Bello Ishidi, said illegal diversion and smuggling threaten the national economy, energy security and public interest.
“Such activities undermine government policies, distort the legitimate petroleum supply chain, encourage economic sabotage and deprive the nation of the benefits of its natural resources,” he said.
Ishidi warned that intelligence reports indicate smugglers are planning increased attempts as the festive season approaches, and directed commanders to heighten surveillance and act promptly on credible intelligence.
“Our mandate goes beyond making seizures. We must ensure that identified offenders are properly investigated and prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others,” he said.
Also speaking, the acting Area Comptroller, Cross River/Calabar FTZ/Akwa Ibom Area Command, DC Nkeiruka Nwala, said the exercise underscores Customs’ commitment to combating diversion and smuggling.
NMDPRA State Coordinator, Joy Okor-Odey, said the agency will not tolerate any act that sabotages the government’s effort to ensure availability and safe distribution of petroleum products.
