A Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) Taskforce recently inaugurated by the Oyo/Osun Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has intercepted 17,450 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), known as petrol, and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), also known as diesel.
The Area Controller of Customs, Adamu Abdulkadir, made this known during a press briefing held at the command headquarters in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Wednesday, August 4, 2021.
The petroleum products seized by the Customs’ operatives included 60 pieces of 100-litre drums of petrol, 388 kegs of 25-litre petrol and 70 kegs of 25-litre diesel, totalling 15,700 litres for petrol and 1,750 litres for diesel.
Speaking while addressing journalists, the Comptroller recalled that about three weeks ago, the command showcased its seizures, comprising of 525 petrol kegs of 25 litres each and two drums of 100 litres each, which were intercepted from various bushes within the Oyo/Osun Command’s area of coverage.
He said that the latest interception “is being displayed barely three weeks after our last press briefing, to awaken the consciousness of the residents of Oyo and Osun to the commitment and resilience of the officers of Oyo/Osun Customs Area Command.”
Saying that the Customs officers were not on duty for jokes, Abdulkadir said: “We have a duty to generate revenue and suppress smuggling to the barest minimum while ensuring that prohibited items are not smuggled in and out of the country through our borders.”
Abdulkadir also said that all borders along the Oyo/Osun’s Areas of Responsibility (AoR), among other borders across the country, would remain closed to any form of inward or outward trade.
He stated: “As food for thought, I wonder why someone will want to risk losing their hard-earned savings to the government,” saying
that the intercepted products would be auctioned and proceeds remitted accordingly to the federal government.
The Comptroller expressed appreciation to Customs Intelligence Unit, Customs Police Unit, Joint Border Patrol Team, Federal Operations Unit and the Strike Force Team for their contributions and synergy in the course of their duties.
He said further that other security agencies, such as the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Airforce and Operation Burst, had been of great assistance when needed.
He enjoined the public to support the Nigeria Customs Service in the implementation of government’s fiscal policies to help boost the socio-economic development of the states.
