The Nigeria Customs Service seized 33,390 litres of petrol on the Badagry waterways in Lagos State on December 8, its spokesman, Hussain Abdulahi, said on Sunday.

He quoted Bello Jibo, comptroller, Customs Area Command at Seme Border Area, as saying that the seizure had a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N8,808,280.

Mr Jibo said with Wednesday’s seizure, the command had seized 930,140 litres of petrol, about 28 tanker loads of 33,000 litres each from January to date.

He explained that the seizures were contained in 31,000 jerry cans of 30 litres of petrol each.

“The combined DPV of the petrol stands at N167,722,751.51,” he said.

He added that the command’s surveillance and patrols in creeks and beaches in Badagry and its environs on Wednesday led to the seizure of 1,113 jerry cans of petrol of 30 litres each, equivalent to 33,390 litres.

“The seizure with a DPV of N8,808,280 was made in the late hours of Wednesday, Dec.8, 2022,” he said.

Mr Jibo described the seizure as unprecedented in the history of the Seme Command of the Nigeria Customs Service. He reiterated the commitment of the officers to continue to make smuggling unattractive.

He stressed that the command would not succumb to blackmail by economic saboteurs who believed that they could succeed in carrying out their nefarious activities by spreading falsehood about the Command.

Mr Jibo assured Nigerians engaged in legitimate businesses in the area of the Command’s support.

(NAN)