Customs Thwart Smuggling of Over 108,000 Litres of Petrol Into Cameroon
The Nigeria Customs Service has halted an attempt to smuggle 108,775 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) through the River Benue into Cameroon, marking one of the largest anti-smuggling operations recorded in Adamawa State this year.
The interception, confirmed in a statement posted Saturday on X, was executed in the early hours of Thursday, November 6, by a tactical unit operating under the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, ACG Kolapo Oladeji.
According to Oladeji, officers had maintained covert surveillance around the Ribadu Loading Bay, a route long associated with illicit fuel movements. He said the smugglers were caught while transferring petrol-filled drums and jerrycans onto a wooden vessel.
“As the smugglers began loading the vessel, our operatives moved in and ordered them to stop,” he said, noting that the team acted swiftly to prevent the boat from escaping across the international waterway despite poor visibility and difficult terrain.
A follow-up sweep of the area, supported by the North-Eastern Marine Command, uncovered a second vessel already packed with PMS. Both boats were later moved to the Jimeta waterside in Yola, where their contents were transferred into trucks for documentation.
A detailed count later confirmed the recovery of 485 drums of 220 litres each and 83 jerrycans of 25 litres — amounting to 108,775 litres of petrol.
Oladeji said the volatile nature of the cargo prompted a recommendation to Customs Headquarters for a public auction in line with established guidelines.
He added that the operation reflects the Service’s intensified campaign against cross-border smuggling, which he described as a persistent threat to national economic stability and energy security. Fuel smuggling through Nigeria’s northern and eastern waterways, he noted, remains a lucrative activity for syndicates supplying neighbouring countries.
The latest interception follows a similar enforcement report last month, when the Adamawa and Taraba Commands seized petroleum products, donkey skins, Tramadol, and foreign soaps valued at over N112.5 million.
