The Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted 108,775 litres of Premium Motor Spirit allegedly being smuggled through the River Benue into Cameroon, in what officers describe as one of the largest anti-smuggling operations recorded recently in Adamawa State.
The operation, carried out in the early hours of Thursday, November 6, 2025, was led by the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Assistant Comptroller-General Kolapo Oladeji, according to a statement posted by Customs on X on Saturday.
Oladeji explained that a special tactical team had mounted covert surveillance near the Ribadu Loading Bay, a route identified as a major corridor for illegal fuel movement.
“The development was made possible after a special tactical team mounted a covert surveillance position near Ribadu Loading Bay, a notorious route known for illicit fuel movement into Cameroon,” he said.
He added that the smugglers were in the process of transferring petrol onto a wooden boat when operatives advanced and ordered them to halt.
Due to the “challenging terrain and limited visibility,” Oladeji said the operatives focused on securing the products and preventing the vessel from escaping across the international waterway.
A further sweep of the area, supported by officers of the North-Eastern Marine Command, led to the discovery of another boat already loaded with fuel-filled drums and jerrycans.
Both boats were moved to the Jimeta waterside in Yola, where their contents were offloaded into trucks and taken to a secured Customs facility for proper documentation.
A full examination revealed 485 drums of 220 litres each and 83 jerrycans of 25 litres each, bringing the total to 108,775 litres of PMS.
Given the highly flammable nature of the product, Oladeji said officials recommended an immediate public auction in line with established Customs procedures.
He noted that the seizure reflects the Service’s strengthened resolve to curb cross-border fuel smuggling, protect Nigeria’s economic assets, and enforce petroleum product movement regulations.
“Smuggling PMS across Nigeria’s northern and eastern waterways continues to pose a major threat to national energy security,” he warned, adding that criminals often move the products in large quantities to neighbouring countries for profit.
