Customs authorities in Adamawa and Taraba have stepped up their battle against smuggling, seizing petroleum products valued at N195,719,930 in just four months.
Comptroller Garba Bashir, who heads the command, made the announcement during a press briefing in Yola.
He said the illegal fuel trade is compounding the nation’s economic challenges and depriving citizens of critical resources.
Bashir lamented the scale of petroleum diversion through unofficial routes and waterways, calling it a calculated attack on the economy and a major blow to national security.
“These smuggling rings are disrupting domestic supply and threatening the progress made under the Tinubu administration’s energy sector reforms,” he stated.
He pledged that the Customs Service would maintain its aggressive stance, utilizing more advanced tools and tactics to identify and shut down smuggling operations. “Smugglers will find no refuge in our jurisdiction,” he added.
Among the items confiscated by the command during the period were tankers, trailers, and vehicles transporting petroleum and contraband such as elephant ivory and alcoholic beverages.
In a significant development, suspects linked to these crimes are now facing trial at the Federal High Court in Yola.