Operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Area Command, stormed waterways in Badagry on Wednesday and recovered over 31,500 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol being ferried in wooden boats through the creeks to Benin Republic.
Though no arrest was made, the suspects were said to have abandoned the boats and jumped into the murky waters.
The Customs Area Controller in charge of Seme Command, Bello Mohammed Jibo, said the feat was achieved following the determination and commitment of the service in suppressing the activities of daredevil smugglers to the barest minimum across the country.
Jibo revealed that on December 1, 2021, based on credible intelligence, and while on patrol of the waters, they intercepted large quantities of items suspected to be Premium Motor Spirit in sacks along the creeks and beaches within the Seme and Badagry axis.
He said upon examination, 1,050 jerry cans of 30 litres each of petroleum products which is equivalent to 31,500 litres were discovered.
He said the duty paid value (DPV) of the seized product is N5,393,902.
“The unfortunate scenario is that apart from sabotaging the efforts of the government that is paying huge amount of money to subsidize the products for the benefit of Nigerians, smuggling of petroleum also poses threats to their own lives and most times vehicles got burnt when accidents occur,” he said.
Also commenting, the CAC reiterated the commitment of officers and men of the command to continue the fight against smugglers and their accomplices.
Jibo also commended the CGC, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd), and the management team for logistical support by providing the command with four Hilux vehicles to boost its operations.
The Customs will continue to enforce federal government’s policies with a view to suppressing smuggling, collection of appropriate revenue and facilitation of legitimate trade, he assured.
