The Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adeniyi, says its Operation Whirlwind intercepted 245,370 liters of Petrol with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of NGN238.1 million in less than three months.

Adeniyi made this known on Monday at a news conference in Lagos convened because of the recent petroleum products seizures by Operation Whirlwind at the Federal Operations Unit in Ikeja.

According to him, in less than three months, Operation Whirlwind has yielded remarkable results with cumulative seizures of 245,370 liters of Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol) valued at NGN238,140,000.

Adeniyi reiterated the service’s commitment to continue protecting Nigeria’s economic interests and ensuring that the benefits of government policies reached all citizens.

He commended the Leader of Operations Whirlwind, Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, Hussein Ejibuno, and his team for protecting the economy and national security.

He said that each liter of petroleum product smuggled across the borders was a loss of revenue as much as it contributed to domestic scarcity, market instability and compromised energy security for the citizens.

“Our economic intelligence reveals that substantial price disparities across regional borders remain the fundamental catalyst for this illicit trade, fostering a profoundly lucrative black market that systematically undermines Nigeria’s economic sovereignty and national interests.

“Importantly, these figures exclude today’s report and seizures made through regular command structures and Federal Operations Units.

“I have previously presented these operational successes in Adamawa State on Jan. 30, where our officers intercepted 199,495 liters of Petrol with duty paid value of NGN 199,495,000.

“Also, in Kwara on Feb. 17, 2025, with additional seizures of 45,875 liters of Petrol worth NGN38,645,000,” he said.

The customs boss said further that the steady momentum of Operation Whirlwind was further demonstrated by the commendable performance recorded in Zone “A”, which covered the Lagos and Ogun axis.

“Today, I am pleased to present our latest operational achievements in this critical zone, which serves as both our nation’s commercial nerve centre and a high-risk corridor for cross-border smuggling activities due to its strategic location along our western frontier with the Republic of Benin.

“Following intelligence-driven operations between Jan. 11 and Feb. 23, our vigilant officers under the Operation Whirlwind have successfully intercepted and seized a total of 28,300 liters of PMS being diverted through various concealment methods and smuggling techniques.

“The NCS continues to confront a fluid national challenge that threatens our economic sovereignty and energy security with the persistent smuggling of petroleum products across our borders.

“While the government has implemented comprehensive market reforms and supply chain enhancements to stabilise the domestic petroleum sector, criminal networks remain determined to exploit regional economic disparities for illicit profit.

“These unscrupulous elements have shown remarkable adaptability, constantly refining their methods to circumvent our enforcement measures.

“What we are witnessing is not just routine customs violations but a systematic attempt to undermine Nigeria’s economic foundations through the diversion of strategic national resources,” he said.

Adeniyi stressed that the successful implementation of Operation Whirlwind highlighted the critical importance of strategic inter-agency collaboration in addressing complex national security challenges.

The Head, Operations Whirlwind, ACG Hussein Ejibuno, lauded the Comptroller-General of customs and the entire management for their support, saying that they enabled his team to achieve remarkable success in its operations.

Ejibuno said that his team also seized three vehicles as mean of conveyance and arrested two suspects who are currently facing trial. (NAN)