Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — In a move to curb the smuggling of petroleum products, the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has handed over a tanker loaded with 60,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, in Katsina.
The handover followed the interception of fuel tanker with registration number KBT 226 XA along Jibia Road in Katsina. The vehicle, suspected of heading toward a border community for possible smuggling, was found with a fake manifest and improper documentation, prompting its seizure.
Speaking on behalf of the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs Kola Oladeji, the Commander in charge of the Kano/Jigawa and Katsina axis, Assistant Comptroller Saad Yahaya, said the operation demonstrates the Customs Service’s determination to protect national economic interests.
“This action reflects our unwavering commitment to safeguard Nigeria’s energy security and prevent the diversion of fuel meant for domestic use,” Yahaya said. “We are focused on ensuring that every litre of fuel stays within the country to serve our people, not smugglers.”
Quoting the Public Relations Officer of the Katsina Command, Assistant Superintendent of Customs Bello Isah, the Service described the seizure as “a decisive step by the Nigeria Customs Service to enforce government directives against fuel smuggling and ensure that petroleum products intended for Nigerian consumers remain within the country.”
During the official handover ceremony, ACG Oladeji reaffirmed the Service’s readiness to sustain synergy with relevant agencies such as the NMDPRA, emphasizing that effective collaboration is key to achieving transparency and accountability in the downstream sector.
“This handover underscores our determination to support national energy security and collaborate effectively with sister agencies,” Oladeji said. “Together, we are sending a strong message that economic sabotage through fuel diversion will not be tolerated.”
Receiving the tanker on behalf of the NMDPRA State Coordinator, Engineer Abdullahi Musa commended the Customs Service for its vigilance and inter-agency cooperation.
“What the Customs Service has done here shows the importance of teamwork in safeguarding our national energy assets,” Musa stated. “Such collaboration is vital to sanitising the downstream petroleum sector and curbing illegal fuel movements.”
He added that the seized tanker and its contents would undergo further regulatory scrutiny in accordance with established procedures.
The Nigeria Customs Service, through Operation Whirlwind, reiterated its resolve to sustain the fight against smuggling, economic sabotage, and all forms of illicit trade threatening the country’s energy supply chain.
“We urge members of the public to provide credible information that can help us in our enforcement efforts,” the statement concluded.
The Operation Whirlwind initiative, launched to combat the diversion of petroleum products, has intensified surveillance across border communities in northern Nigeria as part of the government’s efforts to stabilise the nation’s energy supply chain and protect critical economic resources.
