The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adamawa/Taraba Area Command, has intensified its fight against cross-border smuggling, recording the seizure of about 50,495 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and prohibited secondhand clothing in a series of intelligence-driven operations conducted between December 2025 and January 2026.
MA Tanko, the Customs Area Comptroller, disclosed the development during a press briefing at the Customs House in Yola, Adamawa State.
According to him, the seizures were made along notorious smuggling corridors in Adamawa and Taraba states as part of efforts to curb the illegal exportation of subsidised petroleum products to neighbouring countries.
Comptroller Tako detailed several major interceptions carried out by operatives of the Command. On December 12, 2025, at about 2:45 a.m., officers intercepted 410 jerry cans of PMS, each containing between 25 and 30 litres, along the Mubi–Sahuda axis. Four days later, on December 16, 2025, at about 4:15 a.m., 362 jerry cans of 25 litres each were seized along the Daware–Fufore route.
He further revealed that on December 31, 2025, at about 11:10 p.m., operatives intercepted 330 jerry cans of PMS along the Fufore–Gurin axis. Earlier the same day, at about 2:10 a.m., officers seized 10 bales and two sacks of secondhand clothing along the Mubi–Sahuda axis.
The anti-smuggling operations continued into the new year. On January 5, 2026, at about 1:28 a.m., 141 jerry cans of PMS and a 220-litre drum of the product were intercepted at Wuro Bokki. On January 10, 2026, at about 11 p.m., a used Mercedes Benz 911 truck loaded with 625 jerry cans of PMS, each containing 30 litres, was seized along the Ndaforo–Abong axis in Taraba State.
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In total, the Command recovered 1,868 jerry cans and one drum of PMS, amounting to approximately 50,495 litres, alongside the prohibited used clothing. The aggregate Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seized items was put at N58,117,550.
Nothing that all the operations were conducted in strict compliance with the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023. He noted that Section 150 of the Act prohibits the illegal exportation of PMS, while Sections 245 and 246 empower Customs officers to detain, seize and forfeit smuggled goods, including petroleum products conveyed in violation of existing regulations.
Issuing a stern warning to smugglers and their collaborators, the Area Controller said the Service would not relent in its enforcement efforts.
“The Nigeria Customs Service issues a final warning to all smugglers and their collaborators to desist from these illegal activities. We have intensified intelligence-led operations across all routes and border communities. Any person found engaging in smuggling or aiding and abetting such acts will face the full weight of the law without compromise,” he declared.
He commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and the NCS management team for their strategic leadership and support, while also acknowledging the cooperation of sister security agencies in achieving the operational successes.
Tako praised the professionalism, vigilance and dedication of officers of the Adamawa/Taraba Command, particularly those directly involved in the seizures.
He noted that fuel smuggling remains a major threat to Nigeria’s energy security and revenue generation, as it encourages economic sabotage through the diversion of subsidised products to foreign markets.
He reaffirmed the Command’s resolve to safeguard national economic interests, despite persistent smuggling challenges associated with the region’s porous borders.
