The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has once more confiscated 11,650 litres of petroleum motor spirits (PMS), also known as petrol or fuel, in Kebbi State.
The latest achievement by the service was made during its ongoing battle against the illicit trafficking of merchandise throughout the nation.
The head of the command, Iheanacho Ernest Ojike, provided details of the operation during an interview with journalists in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday.
According to him, the operation led to the recovery of 40 boxes of imported Spaghetti, 50 bundles of used clothing, 28 boxes of Diclofenac tablets containing 50mg, and 10 jerry cans of vegetable oils, all with a total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of fourteen million, seven hundred and ninety-two thousand, four hundred naira.
He also revealed that the confiscated PMS would be put up for auction to the public, aiming to raise eight million, one hundred and seventy-eight thousand, one hundred eighty-three (N8, 178, 183) from it, which would be deposited into the Federal Government’s treasury.
The operation resulted in the team earning twenty-five million, eight hundred and forty-seven thousand, six hundred and eleven naira (N25, 847, 611) in June, marking a 67.6 per cent increase from the previous month of May.
In a distinct update in Birnin Kebbi, Hussien Ejibunu, the Comptroller of the National Coordinator Operation WHIRLWIND, highlighted a significant achievement by the operatives of Operation Whirlwind Zone D’ axis through the confiscation of PMS products in Sokoto Area Command.
He said, “I also displayed another huge seizure to the general public that the operation has already disrupted and dismantled the network of cartels/smugglers of Premium Motor Spirit nationwide as the operation is taking place simultaneously across our national borders.
“Let me re-emphasise that this is a continuous operation until we stamp out the perpetrators of the smuggling and diversion of petroleum products across the country.
“This operation is coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser with petroleum regulatory authority NMDPRA and other law enforcement agencies.
”Today, we have another seizure of =661= Six Hundred and Sixty-One Kegs of PMS, with some containing thirty and forty litres of products each, also another Fifteen drums of PMS, with each drum containing Two Hundred litres each, which translates into Seventy-Nine Thousand Five Hundred litres of PMS with a DPV of Fifty Five Million Seven Hundred and Twenty-Nine Thousand Five Hundred naira only. The interception was made across Kebbi and Sokoto States, respectively.”
He disclosed further that a petrol station was also sealed off and handed over to the regulatory agency NMDPRA for further investigation.
He said, “It is worth noting that the operatives are in daily contact with our Control Room in Abuja which is being manned by NCS officers and NMDPRA staff, where daily truck out to every location in the country is monitored to ensure compliance with the regulatory authority’s rules on trucking, discharging and even dispensing of the product, so that issues of diversion are equally tackled by the operatives”
Nonetheless, he encouraged cartel members to reconsider their actions and transition into lawful enterprises, noting that the Nigerian Customs Service will target them as economic disruptors, given the absence of tolerance for their unlawful operations.
