How Nigeria Is Reclaiming Its Fuel Supply — One Seizure at a Time
_Inside Operation Whirlwind and the Economics of Stopping Petrol Smuggling_ By Lod Onyeji On a Monday morning at the Federal Operations Unit in Ikeja, Lagos, the Nigeria Customs Service poured 20,500 litres of seized Premium Motor Spirit back into the legal economy. It was not a symbolic gesture. It was economics in action. Under the supervision of Deputy Comptroller Abubakar Lucky Aliu, National Coordinator of “Operation Whirlwind,” 820 jerry cans of 25 litres each — intercepted along smuggling corridors in Imeko, Ilara, Ilaro, Idiroko and Seme — were auctioned publicly. Five trucks used in the operation were also forfeited. The combined Duty Paid Value: ₦38 million. The directive came from Comptroller-General Dr. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR. The message was clear: diverted fuel will not finance criminal networks. It will power Nigerian households, farms, and small businesses. The Data Behind the Crackdown Petroleum smuggling has long been a leak in Nigeri...
