NCS Boss auctions intercepted petroleum products in Taraba
Daniel Mtindiga, Jalingo.
The Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (RTD), has auctioned the assorted Petroleum products earlier intercepted in Taraba State by the Operation Whirlwind, Taraba/Adamawa Zone ‘D’ Command.
Recall that the Operation Whirlwind Zone D, Taraba/Adamawa Command in a three hours operation on March 8th to 9th, 2025, intercepted Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) of about one thousand, one hundred and forty nine (1,149) jerry canes of thirty liters each, estimated to the tune of thirty three million, seven hundred and eighty thousand, six hundred naira only (33,780,600) along Kan-Iyaka Borders.
Briefing Journalists at the Customs House in Jalingo on the interception of Petroleum products made by the Operation Whirlwind, the CGCS commended Officers of the Operation Whirlwind and other Security operatives for their.commitment and dedication to duty
He disclosed that in the recent weeks, Customs have witnessed a troubling atmosphere in Petroleum smuggling activities across the Northeast zone frontier particularly along the Adamawa and Taraba corridors stressing that, targeted operations in those axis have revealed that there are strategic transit points for cross-border petroleum diversion.
“The skills and sophistications we have encountered reflects on trans-national smuggling networks in increasingly exploiting our vast border territories through coordinated efforts. We will continue to reiterate the well-known fact that the economic implications of these illicit activities extend far beyond the simple revenue losses that we might be experiencing.
“This situation creates artificial scarcity in our domestic supplies, it distorts supply chains in vulnerable communities and fund partially enterprises that undermine regional security,” he said.
CGCS Hameed further expressed deep concern over the integration of petroleum smuggling with other trans-border criminal activities that is creating very complex security challenges that outweighs conventional enforcement approaches.
“Our operational frequence in Taraba State represents adoptive narrative in implementing domain response to this encouraging emerging threat vectors and in implementing this approach, our inter-agency intelligence Team, identified very unusual movements patterns across Kan-Iyakawe axis between March 8th to 9th, 2025 and acting on this intelligence, the Team executed a series of coordinated interceptions which destructed what appears to be an emerging smuggling corridor around these axis.
“Working in partnership with the Nigerian Mainstream/Downstream petroleum Regulatory Authority and with the Technical support from the office of the National Security Adviser, we have made previously, undocumented transit routes connecting these remote border communities,” he said.
Speaking further, he noted that, location outcomes from the intelligence led interventions led to the seizure of over 1,149 jerry canes of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) each, containing 30 liters yielding a valuable of 34,400,70 liters of petroleum including a sophisticated special purpose transportation vehicle valued at 4 million naira.
He however, lauded the Operation Whirlwind Taraba/Adamawa zone D Command and other sister Security Agencies including Stakeholders for the collaborative efforts in the fight against criminal activities in the Sate/Nation while, reaffirming commitment to continue to accelerate as they deploy next generation surveillance capacities to expand community engagement initiatives in vulnerable border communities to safeguard Nigeria’s economic sovereignty.
“We are at the verge of initiating a pilot programme to integrate and bounce analytics with community partnerships frameworks unique to the Northeast frontiers.
“Our field Teams will be more equipped with enhanced digital capabilities that will enable real time threats assessments adaptive response planning despite the challenge of topography and the distributed nature of these smuggling networks.
“I must therefore, extend my highest commendation to the Officers/Operatives of Operation Whirlwind who have displayed extra-ordinary vigilance and courage in executing this complex missions,” he remarked
