The Nigeria Customs Service has sealed up AP filling station in Yauri local government, Kebbi State for smuggling PMS.
Customs Area Controller in charge of Kebbi Command, Comptroller Ben Oramalugo made this known while briefing newsmen at the Command’s Headquarters in Birnin Kebbi.
According to him, the command had in the wee hours of Wednesday, received an intelligence report of smuggling activities of PMS at the filling station which prompted me of the command to launch an attack on the scene and completely stopped the illegal activity and sealed up the filling station.
The joint patrol teams, upon arriving at the filling station, engaged in skilled mode operation by cordoning off the entire area, sealing the filling station, and started the evacuation of all the kegs of PMS already loaded for onward smuggling out of the country through one of the waterways in Yauri.
“We were able to eventually evacuate three hundred and four (304) kegs of PMS of 25 liters each, sealed up the filling station along with (6) petrol tankers inside. An investigation is now ongoing.”
According to him, the total seizures made during the period under review were: 16,375 liters of Premium Motor Spirit, 210 cartons of foreign spaghetti, 34 bales of second-hand clothes, and 109 cartons of confectionaries, among others with Duty Paid Value of ₦23,141,803.
Comptroller Oramalugo, however, cautioned the smugglers in Kebbi State to desist from their nefarious activities, threatening that severe punishment will be given to the perpetrators of such acts.
He restated that men of the Nigeria Customs Service will not fold their arms and watch filling stations used as a conduit pipe for smuggling petrol out of the country.
