The Nigeria Customs Service, Adamawa/Taraba Area Command, has said it intercepted 12,435 litres of Premium Motor Spirit worth N10.8m being illegally exported to Cameroon.

In a statement on Saturday, the command said that the PMS was intercepted within two weeks.

The command added in the statement said the product was packed in 491 jerrycans, 25 litres each and eight jerrycans 20 litres each.

The Customs Area Comptroller in charge of the command, Garba Bashir, explained that the PMS was intercepted alongside the means of conveyance.

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“The officers, while on anti-smuggling operations along the command frontiers within two weeks, recorded five incidents of interception of premium motor spirit on its way to the neighbouring country, Cameroon

“The petrol and the means of conveyance were valued at NN10.8m,” he said.

The CAC stated that no suspect was arrested, adding that the perpetrators abandoned the items and absconded in an attempt to avoid arrest.

Bashir added that the seizures of the items were in line with sections 150 and 248 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, “and considering the facts that the command’s territorial borders are officially closed.”

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He stated that the petrol had been auctioned due to its inflammable nature.

He added that smuggling activities have done more harm than good to the nation.

“It hinders our national growth, strangles our trade policies with regards to revenue, foreign investment, preservation of domestic trade and growth, food security, and public security,” Bashir said.

“We want to unwaveringly tell the smugglers that our operatives are strategically repositioned along the borderlines to fasten their exit out of this illicit business,” he added.

He solicited the support of the border communities in the fight against smuggling.

The Adamawa/Taraba Area Command, Yola, of the NCS is one of the commands under Zone B Customs, headquartered in Kaduna.

A young man identified as Khalid Bichi, was on Friday night, May 10, shot dead by yet to be identified persons.

According to reports, Khalid was trailed by the men who shot him dead in the Maitama area of Abuja

The deceased was a staff of FIRS with social media X handle @Khalid_Bichi, was on his way to get food when the unfortunate incident happened. He was rushed to Maitama General Hospital where he eventually died.

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Confirming the incident to LIB, the spokesperson of the command, SP Josephine Adeh, said the matter is currently being investigated and that efforts are being made to apprehend the killers.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service has disclosed that two men died in a tanker explosion which occurred on Friday night at the Ijesha end of the Cele link-bridge in Surulere area of the state.

The LSFRS Director, Margaret Adeseye, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, adding that firefighters responded swiftly to the distress call to extinguish the fire..

The statement partly read, “At approximately 23:12hrs emergency services were alerted to a tanker truck, carrying 33k litres of petrtol, losing control while navigating the roundabout to ascend the bridge. The subsequent spillage ignited into a large fire, engulfing the surrounding area.

“Prompt action by the Isolo and Bolade Fire Stations of the agency, contained the inferno, preventing further escalation.

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“Regrettably, two male individuals were discovered deceased, their bodies tragically burnt beyond recognition and handed over to the Nigeria Police Force, overseeing the necessary procedures. The Lagos State Ambulance Service also provided vital assistance throughout the operation.”

Adeseye added that efforts are underway to clear the wreckage of the involved vehicles from the road, to ensure free flow of traffic and to enable investigative procedures.

The PUNCH reported in April that five people were confirmed dead and over 70 cars burnt in a tanker explosion at the Eleme section of the East-West Road in Rivers State.

The incident was reported to have followed the collision between a petrol-laden tanker and a heavy-duty truck, spilling the content of the tanker which burst into flames.