Customs set to auction 14,375 litres of seized PMS in Calabar

The Nigeria Customs Service has announced plans to auction 14,375 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, which was intercepted from suspected smugglers heading towards Cameroon.

The fuel was seized in the Calabar axis by the Service’s Special Anti-Smuggling Taskforce, code-named Operation Whirlwind.

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday in Calabar, the National Coordinator of the taskforce in Zone C, DCC Abubakar Aliyu, confirmed the development. He stated that the Duty Paid Value of the seized petrol is N14,375,000.

Aliyu said the interception forms part of ongoing efforts by the Customs to curb smuggling activities and protect the nation’s economy.

He said, “Within the past several weeks, acting on credible and actionable intelligence, our operatives successfully dismantled a coordinated network involved in the illegal exportation of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to neighbouring Cameroon.

“During the operation, we intercepted 235 jerry-cans of 25 litres each and 40 drums (200 litres each) of Premium Motor Spirit, amounting to a total volume of 14,375 litres.

“The total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seized petroleum products stands at Fourteen Million, Three Hundred and Seven- Five Thousand Naira Only (N14,375,000).

“Through sustained surveillance and strategic interdictions across identified flashpoints, including Ikang, Bakassi, Ikom and Ikot-Idareka.”

He added that the auctioned products were being diverted for illegal export in clear violation of Nigeria’s laws governing the distribution and movement of petroleum products.

Aliyu stressed that the NCS remains resolute in its constitutional mandate to safeguard Nigeria’s economy, secure critical national assets, and combat all forms of smuggling and economic sabotage.

The Zone C Area Comptroller, Momodu Dauda, said the seizure underscores the unwavering commitment of the NCS to protecting the national economy, enforcing laws and suppressing smuggling activities that undermine legitimate trade.

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