Customs targets smuggling networks in Kwara, seizes 15,375 litres of petrol
By Mosunmola Ayobami, Ilorin
In a decisive blow against cross-border fuel diversion, Operation Whirlwind of the Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted 15,375 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, valued at N15.38 million, across strategic border communities in Kwara and Niger States.
The seized petroleum products, packed inside 615 individual 25-litre jerrycans, were confiscated at key flashpoints—including Kaiama, Shiya, Kenu, Boriya, Luma, Baruten, Ilesha-Baruba, Taberu, and Salla-Gwanara—as part of sustained enforcement measures.
Disclosing the development during a public auction of the seized petrol at the Kwara Area Command in Ilorin, the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Comptroller Mahmood Ishidi, confirmed that the operations carried a Duty Paid Value of N15,375,000.
Addressing stakeholders on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, Ishidi sternly warned that illicit petrol trafficking constitutes severe economic sabotage that disrupts domestic energy supplies and inflates fuel costs for ordinary citizens.
Furthermore, he stressed that these illicit cross-border supply lines directly fund organised crime and compromise national security, prompting customs authorities to overhaul operational supervision, enforcement strategies, and inter-agency coordination.
To ensure strict accountability, the National Coordinator explained that the public auctioning process serves as a transparent mechanism for managing recovered national resources whilst returning vital fuel supplies back into the regulated market.
Acknowledging key institutional partnerships, Ishidi expressed gratitude to the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority for their steadfast support alongside officers of the Kwara Area Command.
Urging border residents to support security agencies with timely intelligence, he assured the public that customs units will continuously intensify surveillance across all operational fronts to systematically dismantle smuggling rings.
