THE Nigeria Customs Service, through its Operation Whirlwind Strikes Smugglers, has intercepted petrol and vehicles worth over N63 million in Lagos and Ogun states.
The national coordinator of the team, Hussein Ejibunu, an Assistant Comptroller General, stated this in a statement on Sunday, noting that the petrol was intercepted along the Lagos-Ogun axis.
Ejibunu described the seizure as a major milestone in the continued fight against economic sabotage.
“There is no safe haven for smugglers or economic saboteurs. We will continue to disrupt their activities and reduce them to the barest minimum,” he said.
He explained that operatives intercepted 1,577 jerrycans of 25 litres each, amounting to 39,425 litres of PMS, along with eight vehicles used for its transportation.
He further noted that the seizures took place in major smuggling hotspots such as Ilaro, Imeko, Badagry, Owode, and Ajilete area of the two South-West states.
“Investigations revealed the products were bound for illegal export across the border to Benin Republic.
“The fuel has a duty-paid value of N39,425,000, while the vehicles are valued at N24,000,000, bringing the total toN63,425,000.
“It may interest you to know that in just one year, significant milestones have been achieved across all zones. This is due to the commitment, discipline, and resilience of the operatives,” he said.
The ICIR reported that that the Nigeria Customs Service generated N1.3 trillion in revenue during the first quarter of 2025, which was 200 per cent more than the N600 billion collected in the same period in 2023.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, attributed the increase to the transformative reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Adeniyi said the Service anti-smuggling efforts had closed major revenue leakages, helping it to recover over N64 billion from undervalued imports in nine months.
He noted that key smuggling networks at borders like Seme, Idiroko, Katsina, and Sokoto had been dismantled. He also lauded the success of joint border patrols with the Nigerian Army, State Security Service (SSS) and Police.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.