The comptroller-general of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi, says its ‘Operation Whirlwind’ intercepted 245,370 litres of petrol with a duty paid value of NGN238.1 million in less than three months.

Mr Adeniyi disclosed this on Monday at a news conference in Lagos that was convened because of the recent petroleum products seizures by Operation Whirlwind at the Federal Operations Unit in Ikeja.

According to him, in less than three months, Operation Whirlwind has yielded cumulative seizures of 245,370 litres of petrol valued at  NGN238,140,000.

Mr Adeniyi reiterated the service’s commitment to continue protecting Nigeria’s economic interests and ensuring that the benefits of government policies reached all citizens.

He commended the leader of the operations, Hussein Ejibuno, and his team for protecting the economy and national security.

He said that each litre of petroleum product smuggled across the borders was a loss of revenue as much as it contributed to domestic scarcity, market instability and compromised energy security for the citizens.

“Our economic intelligence reveals that substantial price disparities across regional borders remain the fundamental catalyst for this illicit trade, fostering a profoundly lucrative black market that systematically undermines Nigeria’s economic sovereignty and national interests.

“Importantly, these figures exclude today’s report and seizures made through regular command structures and federal operations units.

“I have previously presented these operational successes in Adamawa state on January 30, where our officers intercepted 199,495 litres of petrol with a duty-paid value of N199,495,000. Also, in Kwara on February 17, 2025, with additional seizures of 45,875 liters of petrol worth NGN38,645,000,” he said.

The customs boss said further that the steady momentum of ‘Operation Whirlwind’ was demonstrated by the commendable performance recorded in Zone A, which covered the Lagos and Ogun axes.

(NAN)