Customs Seizes Over 108,000 Litres of PMS Smuggled Through River Benue to Cameroon

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 108,775 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) being smuggled through the River Benue into Cameroon, marking one of the largest anti-fuel smuggling operations recorded in Adamawa State in recent months.

In a statement posted on X on Saturday, the Service revealed that the operation took place in the early hours of Thursday, November 6, 2025, and was led by the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, ACG Kolapo Oladeji.

Oladeji explained that the breakthrough followed covert surveillance mounted by a special tactical team near Ribadu Loading Bay, a well-known channel for illegal fuel movements into Cameroon.

“As the smugglers began loading the products onto the vessel, our operatives moved in and ordered them to stop,” he said.

He added that due to poor visibility and the challenging terrain, officers focused on securing the seized fuel and preventing the smugglers’ boat from fleeing across the international waterway.

A subsequent search of the area, with support from the North-Eastern Marine Command, uncovered another wooden boat filled with drums and jerrycans of petrol.

Both vessels were then escorted to the Jimeta waterside in Yola, where the fuel was transferred into trucks and taken to a secured Customs facility for proper documentation. A full inventory revealed 485 drums of 220 litres each and 83 jerrycans of 25 litres each, amounting to 108,775 litres of PMS.

Oladeji said that, given the volatile nature of the product, the Customs team recommended an immediate public auction in line with established guidelines.

He stressed that the interception highlights the Service’s strengthened drive to combat cross-border smuggling, protect Nigeria’s economic interests, and enforce regulations governing petroleum product movement.

Smuggling PMS through Nigeria’s northern and eastern waterways, he noted, continues to pose a significant threat to national energy security, as large quantities are routinely ferried into neighbouring countries for profit.

In a related development last month, the Adamawa and Taraba Commands of the NCS seized petroleum products, donkey skins, Tramadol and foreign soaps valued at over N112.5 million.