In just eight weeks, the Nigeria Customs Service’s special task team, Operation Whirlwind, has confiscated petroleum products worth ₦181.6 million along smuggling routes between Nigeria and Cameroon.
ACG Kolapo Oladeji, the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, reportedly revealed the information during a press conference on Thursday in Yola.
According to Oladeji, “this operation is focused on energy and food security to foster economic growth in line with the core mandates of the Federal Republic of Nigeria President, Bola Tinubu.”
The seizures, according to Oladeji, were made during 55 operations that targeted smuggling hotspots around Adamawa State.
“To ensure that the border becomes airtight, Operation Whirlwind Zone D has repositioned all its machinery across its areas of responsibility,” he stated.
He urged stakeholders to work together to further the socioeconomic development of the area and cautioned smugglers to stop their illicit operations.
He pledged, “We will make sure that these economic wreckers’ supply chains are cut short in compliance with enabling laws.”
He said that the government would receive the money from the auction of the confiscated petroleum products.
Speaking at the function, Mrs. Abidemi Adewumi-Aluko, Assistant Legal Advisor at the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, characterized the planned auction as a justifiable action to recover national resources and stop economic sabotage.
“Because they jeopardize national security, such offenses carry a life sentence,” she stated.
Additionally, she warned of severe legal repercussions and urged petroleum traffickers to cease their operations.
