In a daring operation, the Zone A Operation Whirlwind Unit of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Lagos intercepted smugglers attempting to transport 10,970 liters of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) concealed in sacks on New Year’s Eve.
According to Assistant Comptroller of Customs, Mahmood Bello, the smugglers had revived an old technique of hiding PMS in sacks, which was encountered for the first time during Operation Whirlwind. Previous seizures had involved PMS transported in jerry-cans.
The operation took place along the waterside in Badagry, where Customs operatives intercepted 61 sacks and seven jerry-cans of PMS loaded in a large canoe headed for the Benin Republic. “Each sack contained 150 litres, translating to a total of 10,970 litres of PMS,” Bello explained.
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The products were evacuated with reinforcement from the Nigerian military, and the operation was deemed highly successful with no casualties despite resistance from the smugglers. Due to the volatile nature of the seized product, the National Coordinator has ordered its auctioning.