Obasempire reports that the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 11,650 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in Kebbi State as part of its ongoing efforts to halt illicit cross-border trade.
Addressing journalists in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday, the Controller of the Kebbi Command, Iheanacho Ernest Ojike, also disclosed the seizure of additional smuggled items, including 40 crates of imported pasta, 50 bundles of used clothing, 28 boxes of 50mg Diclofenac tablets, and 10 containers of cooking oil.
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Ojike stated that the total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seized goods is fourteen million, seven hundred and ninety-two thousand, four hundred naira (N14,792,400).
He disclosed that the seized PMS would be auctioned to the public, generating an estimated eight million, one hundred and seventy-eight thousand, one hundred eighty-three naira (N8,178,183), which will be remitted to the Federal Government’s coffers.
“The team was able to generate twenty-five million, eight hundred and forty-seven thousand, six hundred and eleven naira (N25,847,611) in June, which is a 67.6% increase compared to the previous month of May,” Ojike added.
In a separate briefing in Birnin Kebbi, the National Coordinator of Operation WHIRLWIND, Comptroller Hussien Ejibunu, reported the seizure of PMS products in the Sokoto Area Command by the operatives of Operation Whirlwind Zone D’ axis.
Ejibunu stated that the operation has successfully disrupted and dismantled networks of smugglers of Premium Motor Spirit nationwide.
“This operation is coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser, in collaboration with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and other law enforcement agencies,” he said.
He revealed another substantial seizure of 661 kegs of PMS, containing 30 and 40 litres each, and 15 drums of PMS, each containing 200 litres, amounting to a total of 79,500 litres of PMS with a DPV of fifty-five million, seven hundred and twenty-nine thousand, five hundred naira (N55,729,500).
These interceptions were made across Kebbi and Sokoto States.
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Ejibunu further mentioned that one filling station was sealed off and handed over to the regulatory agency, NMDPRA, for further investigation, noting that the continuous monitoring of PMS trucking, discharging, and dispensing processes to prevent diversion.
He urged members of smuggling cartels to reconsider their activities and pursue legitimate business ventures, warning that the Nigerian Customs Service will continue to pursue economic saboteurs relentlessly.
“There is no place for their illegal activities,” he stated.
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