- The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, has officially handed over 1,650 jerrycans of seized Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
- The contraband, valued at ₦40.7 million, was intercepted across various notorious smuggling routes in Lagos State, including Badagry, Seme, and Owode.
- Operation Whirlwind operatives also seized three tankers carrying a combined 154,000 litres of petrol as part of the nine-week enforcement surge.
The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, on Friday, February 20, 2026, handed over a massive haul of seized Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
Eko Blog Reports that the handover ceremony, held at the Customs Training College in Ikeja, involved 1,650 jerrycans of petrol with a total duty-paid value of ₦40.7 million, all of which were intercepted during intensified surveillance operations.
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Addressing journalists at the event, the CGC, represented by the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind and Deputy Comptroller General of Customs, Abubakar Aliyu, disclosed that the seizures were the result of a relentless nine-week crackdown.
The operations targeted critical border communities and notorious smuggling corridors, including Adodo, Seme, Oode Apa, Ajilete, Idjaun, Ilaro, Badagry, Idiroko, and the Imeko axis.
Beyond the jerrycans, Customs operatives also impounded three tankers used as means of conveyance, which were found carrying 60,000, 45,000, and 49,000 litres of PMS respectively, totaling 154,000 litres.
The Customs boss emphasized that these interceptions were not accidental but the product of intelligence-driven strategies designed to safeguard Nigeria’s energy security.
He explained that the movement of petroleum products is strictly governed by a regulatory framework established to prevent diversion and hoarding.
“These items in question were found to have contravened the established Standard Operating Procedures of Operation Whirlwind,” Adeniyi stated, warning that such violations undermine government policy, distort market stability, and deprive the nation of critical revenue.
Adeniyi further maintained that under the current administration, there would be no “safe haven” for those exploiting sensitive economic arteries like Owode, Seme, and Badagry for illegal cross-border movement.
He noted that the formal handover to NMDPRA underscores institutional synergy, ensuring that while Customs enforces border control, the regulatory body oversees the legal distribution and compliance of the products.
“This action underscores institutional synergy… This collaboration will ensure due process, transparency, and regulatory integrity,” he concluded.
Receiving the products on behalf of the NMDPRA, Mrs. Grace Dauda reaffirmed the agency’s responsibility to ensure that petroleum products meant for the Nigerian market are consumed locally.
She lamented the actions of unscrupulous businessmen attempting to smuggle essential resources out of the country and urged the general public to join hands with security agencies to stop economic sabotage.
Operation Whirlwind remains a flagship tactical operation launched by the Nigeria Customs Service to neutralize the surge in illegal fuel diversion across Nigeria’s land and sea borders.
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