The Nigeria Customs Service has intensified its efforts against fuel smuggling in the Northeast, intercepting petroleum products worth N195 million in Adamawa and Taraba states.
Also, the law enforcement agency impounded fuel tankers, heavy-duty trucks, and various vehicles loaded with petroleum products, as well as prohibited items including elephant tusks and alcoholic drinks.
The Comptroller of the Adamawa/Taraba Command, Garba Bashir, who impounded the products, disclosed that the illicit trade in petroleum products is worsening the country’s economic woes and depriving Nigerians of essential commodities.
He decried the widespread diversion of fuel through backchannels and river routes, describing the trend as a deliberate sabotage of the economy and a direct threat to national stability.
“These criminal networks are undermining local fuel distribution and rolling back the gains recorded in the energy sector under President Tinubu’s leadership,” Bashir added.
While addressing newsmen after the seizure in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, he assured that the command would not relent in its operations, stressing that the Customs Service is deploying more sophisticated strategies and surveillance to dismantle smuggling networks.
“There will be no hiding place for offenders in our area of responsibility,” he warned.
Bashir also revealed that individuals apprehended in connection with these offences are currently being prosecuted at the Federal High Court in Yola.
