The Nigeria Customs Service has auctioned 15,375 litres of petrol that its Operation Whirlwind team intercepted along the Niger-Kwara axis in a renewed effort to combat smuggling and illegal diversion of petroleum products. The seized fuel, comprising 615 jerrycans of 25 litres each, was recovered from various locations across Kwara State including Kaiama, Shiya, Kenu, Boriya, Luma, Baruten, Ilesha-Baruba, Taberu and Salla-Gwanara. The Nigeria Customs Service said the intercepted petrol had an estimated duty-paid value of N15.375 million.
Mahmood Ishidi, the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, disclosed the auction details at the headquarters of the Kwara Area Command of the NCS in Ilorin on Wednesday, representing Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adeniyi. Ishidi described petroleum smuggling as economic sabotage that undermined government revenue, disrupted the petroleum supply chain and contributed to artificial scarcity and rising prices. He stated that the illegal trade could strengthen criminal networks, weaken border security and pose wider threats to national security.
Ishidi pledged to strengthen intelligence gathering, inter-agency collaboration and enforcement operations to curb the illegal trade, saying his administration would prioritise effective supervision, intelligence-led interventions and a result-driven operational framework. He acknowledged contributions from the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority to the operation. He commended officers of the Niger-Kwara axis for their professionalism and commitment.
The Customs official urged residents, particularly those in border communities, to provide credible information to security agencies, characterising the fight against smuggling as a collective responsibility. He said the public auction underscored the service's commitment to transparency and accountability in managing seized petroleum products. Operation Whirlwind said it would sustain surveillance and enforcement activities across its areas of responsibility to check petroleum smuggling and protect the country's economic interests.
For Nigerian consumers and businesses, petroleum smuggling drives up fuel costs and contributes to artificial scarcity, directly affecting the prices paid by ordinary Nigerians for fuel and transport.