The Nigeria Customs Service, Operation Whirlwind, on Tuesday in Ikeja, Lagos, auctioned 14,875 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as PMS, worth N14.875m, to members of the public.
Addressing journalists during the auction exercise at the Customs Training College, the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Abubakar Aliyu, a Deputy Controller of Customs, said that the contraband was intercepted while being exported to a neighbouring country.
He added that the products, which have a duty-paid value of N14.875m, were intercepted within the Lagos/Ogun axis, all within Zone A.
Aliyu added that the Service continues to uphold its constitutional mandate of safeguarding the nation’s economy, protecting vital assets, and tackling all forms of smuggling and economic sabotage.
The coordinator stressed that the efforts of the operation have been significantly intensified through improved surveillance, stronger intelligence operations, and more robust enforcement activities along major routes identified for the illegal diversion and cross-border smuggling of petroleum products.
Operation Whirlwind is a targeted anti-smuggling initiative designed to prevent the illegal movement of petroleum products across Nigeria’s borders. Its core aim is to safeguard the nation’s economic interests, strengthen energy security, and ensure that petroleum products intended for local consumption are not unlawfully diverted for export.
Giving details of the products, he said they were intercepted within the last four weeks.
