The Nigeria Customs Service has intensified its crackdown on smugglers in Adamawa State, seizing contraband goods worth over ₦72.6 million in less than two weeks.
Comptroller of the Adamawa/Taraba Area Command, Garba Bashir, made this known during a press briefing in Yola on Wednesday.
He reiterated the agency’s unwavering commitment to eliminating smuggling in the region.
“In Adamawa and Taraba States, smugglers will not have fresh air. We have started strangling them, and we will continue to strangle and suffocate them until smuggling activities are purged out of the states,” Bashir declared.
Detailing the latest enforcement actions, Bashir revealed that on March 8, customs operatives intercepted a Toyota Corolla loaded with petrol at the Fufore-Gurin axis, foiling an attempt to smuggle fuel into a neighboring country.
On March 13, he added that officers raided the Jimeta Waterside, along the River Benue, uncovering 240 drums of petrol each containing 220 litres, set for illegal export to Cameroon.
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Another major interception, he said occurred on March 14, when intelligence-led operations in Fufore-Gurin led to the confiscation of 425 jerry cans of petrol l each holding 25 litres.
“In total, 70, 175 litres of petrol and a smuggling vehicle. were seized, dealing a significant blow to illicit fuel trade in the region,” he said..
Bashir attributed these successes to improved intelligence sharing, technology driven surveillance, and enhanced border management.
Issuing a stern warning to smugglers, he urged them to abandon their illegal activities.
“The Nigeria Customs Service is out to facilitate legitimate trade and is ever ready to crack down on smuggling cartels for the nation’s economy to have fresh air,” he emphasized.
He also called on patriotic Nigerians to report suspicious trans-border activities and encouraged the media to heighten advocacy against smuggling.
“Smuggling has eaten deep into the nation’s economy and undermined our security. For a better and prosperous Nigeria, we need the unwavering support of all Nigerians in this fight—it is not a one-man business,” he stressed.
