The Nigeria Customs Service under ‘Operation Whirlwind’ has seized petroleum products worth N181.6 million in eight weeks between the Nigeria and Cameroon borders.
ACG Kolapo Oladeji, national coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, disclosed this at a news conference on Thursday in Yola.
Mr Oladeji said the seizures were made across various smuggling flashpoints in Adamawa in 55 separate operations.
“This operation is geared towards energy and food security to foster economic growth in line with the core mandates of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu.
“In line with these mandates, the Operation Whirlwind Zone ‘D’ had repositioned all its machinery across the area of its responsibilities and ensured that the border became airtight,” he said.
He warned the smugglers to stop such acts and solicited the continued support and cooperation of all stakeholders in the state’s socioeconomic development.
“We will ensure that the supply chains of these economic wreckers are truncated in accordance with enabling laws. This fight has no doubt helped in transforming the nation’s economy and strengthening the security of our borders,” he said.
He further said that the seized petroleum products would be auctioned to the public.
Abidemi Adewumi-Aluko, assistant legal adviser of the attorney general of the federation, described the auction as a symbol of reclaiming resources to ensure that the benefit of petroleum remained in Nigeria.
She said that such offences attracted life imprisonment because they threatened national security.
(NAN)
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