The Nigeria Customs Service has auctioned 22,175 litres of Premium Motor Spirit seized by its anti-smuggling team, Operation Whirlwind, along the Lagos–Ogun axis. The petrol and the vehicles used to move it have a Duty Paid Value of N32.1 million.

The National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Deputy Comptroller Abubakar Aliyu, announced the auction on Monday in Lagos. He said it was carried out at the Customs Training College, Ikeja, on the directive of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi.

According to Aliyu, operatives intercepted 887 jerry cans of 25 litres each, totalling 22,175 litres, along with five means of conveyance. The seizures were made at flashpoints including Imeko, Ilara, Ilaro, Idiroko and Seme-Badagry, following what he described as credible and actionable intelligence.

He said the auction showed the service’s commitment to transparency and accountability in handling seized petroleum products in line with existing laws and approved procedures. He also described the operation as intelligence-driven and targeted.

Operation Whirlwind, he explained, is aimed at stopping the illegal movement, diversion and cross-border smuggling of petroleum products to neighbouring countries. He said the service has stepped up surveillance, intelligence gathering and enforcement on routes prone to diversion, adding that the goal is to protect Nigeria’s economic interests, strengthen energy security and keep products meant for domestic use at home.

Aliyu asked participants and stakeholders to follow auction guidelines strictly so the exercise would be fair, orderly and transparent. He thanked the Comptroller-General and Customs management for their support, as well as the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority for their collaboration. He also commended officers of Operation Whirlwind Zone A and warned smugglers that the operation would keep dismantling their networks. He urged border communities to report suspicious activities, saying the fight against smuggling is a shared responsibility.

The Acting Commandant of the Customs Training College, Ikeja, Deputy Comptroller Patience Ita, who hosted the auction, said the Comptroller-General has zero tolerance for the smuggling of petroleum products and other goods. She said the exercise should serve as a warning to smugglers, noting that even small-scale smuggling of petroleum products can hurt the national economy.