The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) conducted an auction on Saturday, December 21, selling about 20,000 litres of petrol to residents in Ibadan, Oyo State, at a rate of N630 per litre.
The product, confiscated by officers of Operation Whirlwind in the Oyo/Osun region, was sold at Afoo Filling Station in the Masfala area of Ibadan.
Recall that in a similar move in October, the NCS ordered the auctioning of seized petrol to residents in Adamawa state at a price of N630 per litre.
While inaugurating the sale, Comptroller Hussein Ejibunu, the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, disclosed that the seized tanker and an additional 30 kegs, each containing 25 litres of petrol, were intercepted while being smuggled out of the country.
Ejibunu noted that the total quantity of the confiscated petrol, approximately 30,750 litres, had a duty-paid value of N42.75 million.
The NCS had earlier warned of the adverse impact smuggling of prohibited items like petrol has on Nigeria’s economy and forex woes.
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Comptroller Ejibunu explained that the petrol was made available for public purchase after a court condemnation order was obtained through the Customs legal adviser, as the items had remained unclaimed.
He added that the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashiru Adeniyi, authorized the sale to improve public access to fuel, particularly during the festive period.
Comptroller Ejibunu said: “Government at every level ensures that citizens receive what they are entitled to, as and when due. It is part of government policy to ensure that seized goods are auctioned to Nigerians for their use.”
He urged smugglers to abandon their unlawful activities, cautioning that anyone apprehended would face legal action.
He further called on Nigerians to support the Customs Service by sharing valuable information about the operations of economic saboteurs.
