By Stephen Ubanna
Between June 2024 and now, Kehinde Hussain Ejibuno, a- one -time Compt. Federal Operations Unit, FOU , Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos state , who was said to have given contraband smugglers in the south western states of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo, a run for their money and now an Assistant Comptroller General Financial Administration and Special Duty and Coordinator Operation Whirlwind, with a mandate to combat the activities of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popular, petrol, across the country could beat his chest he has delivered on his mandate.
Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, the ustoms Comptroller General may have made the assignment of the new ad-hoc team easy by collapsing the previous defunct teams set up BY Hammeed Ali, a retired Army Colonel’s Administration into the new Team.
The ACG, who was said to have read the riot act the various Operation Whirlwind Teams operating in different parts of the state to go all out and make Petroleum Products seizures may have known that they cannot afford to fail.
Given that Adamawa, home state of former Vice President AtikuAbubakar, during Olusegun Obasanjo’s Administration and the sister state of Taraba, which shares border states between Nigeria and the Central state of Cameroun had been a home of the petrol smugglers over the years may have given ACG Ejibuno , an opportunity to show his expertise in dealing with the smugglers and he actiually made Operation whirlwind Patrol Team in the two north easter states to make a breakthrough in the area.
The ACG, may have been occupied with the anti-smuggling operations in tAda,awa and Taraba , to clip the clip the wings of the petrol smugglers that he had paid little or no effort to the north western states of Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi and Katsina
Unknown to many ACG Ejibuno, who has the full backing of Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, the Customs Comptroller General, had a closely guided secret plan on how to strike in the strike in the crisis- torn Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi and Katsina, described as home of the Bandits and Lakurawa groups, . It was a matter of time to do so. Not that here are several transit routes used by the petrol smugglers in the north western states , both land and , rivers and creeks, which the various Customs Formations in the states and the FOU, Zone B, Kaduna, under the close watch of Compt. Bello Ahmadou Shuaibu had continued to battle by making persistent seizures of hundreds of Jerrycans of 25 litres, loaded with the prohibited product from being smuggled across the bordr..
Giving his wealth of experience in dealing with smugglers as the a former Area Controller of FOU, Zone A and now as Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind using the services of informants at a huge cost to the service, he was said to have initiated the same strategy to penetrate the north westest geopolitical region state , to prove a point that he has not left the area entirely to the FOU, Zone B, which already has its hands full because large land space monitored in the in the region which shares border with Nier Republic and the north central states of Niger and Kwara, which also shares bounders with Republic of Benin.
The Value News online publication of March 16, 2025, that ACG .Ejibuno and his Team members have taken over effectively covered the transit routes used by the petrol smugglers in the north eastern states of Adamawa and Taraba, home state of Gen. Theophilous Danjuma, rtd, a former minister of Defense , during Obasanjo’s Administration, thus making it impossible for them to continue the business as usual may have forced the Team to sit up.
The question on the lips of most people was whether ACG Ejibuno, was waiting to be pushed by the media to strike the petrol smugglers who had taken advantage of the numerous transit routes that could be used in the border states with Niger Republic to strike.
After months of behind the scene maneuvering to break into the north western geopolitical region to break into the petrol syndicate operating between Nigerian and Niger, trough Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi and Katsina particular, on Tuesday, March 19, 2025, ACG. Ejibuno’s men made a major breathrough in Kebbi state, by disrupting a petrol smuggling operation. The successful operation may have jolted the Kebbi Command and the FOU, Zone b, kduna Patrol Teams which had consistently monitored the transit routes used by smugglers in the state.
Many believe that ACG Ejibuno and his Team members could redeem its image that it can bark and bite , irrespective of the state of the Federation and the good the works of the Customs Formation or the Interventionist Units in the area since its mandate is sole to combat smuggling of petroleum products across the country.
It was not surprising why on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, after several attempts to break into the north western region by Operation Whirlwind personnel, it had succeed in doing so to the administration of Adeniyi, the Customs Comptroller General who was said to have given the Team and is Team members Kudos , urging them to double their efforts to make more Jerrycans of petroleum products seizures.
ACG Ejibuno, who has barely one year in the service to quit the service, may have been encouraged strike in the crisis- torn Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi and Katsina, to give the petrol smugglers the final battle because of his believe that smuggling of PMS, poses a threat to the Nigerian economy. He noted that smuggling of such products across the borders with the neighbouring Benin Republic, Niger and Cameroun, had resulted ‘’to revenue loss to the country, distortion of trade statistics, artificial scarcity and threats to national security’’.
An elated Ejibuno, who could not his feelings over the breakthrough in the north western state of Kebbi in disrupting Petroleum Product smuggling operations had said that the Operation Whirlwind Team in the state had intercepted a Truck with registration Number AT 2457 RUP, being Repblic of Benin plate Number conveying 766 jerrycans of 25 litres each of petrol and 18 drums of 200 litres of PMS, each, described as one of the highest PMS seizures to be made by the ad-hoc Team since it was established in June , 2024.
Giving an insider information of the number of jerrycans PMS, intercepted in Kebbi state by the Operation Whirlwind Team, the Customs ACG, had had reportedly said that the Truck, with registration Number, DC7184RB, conveying the items was in the Tsaniya area of the state.
He may have shocked Nigerians wen he revealed that the Truck in question conveying the over 135 jerrycans of 25 litres each of petrol and 18 drums, each loaded with 200 litres of PMS, also had a BV 240, Arubi -Republic of Benin Plate Number. He did not stop there. The tough takling ACG Ejibuno had said that an additional 805 kegs of 25 litres each of petrol were also in the north western Kebbi at various areas, including Dole Kaina Zaria Kala Tunga Waterside, Lolo and Tsamiya.
With the breakthrough into Kebbi state, the Customs ACG, who appears to have won the heart of the CGC, had reiterated the service’s commitment ‘’ to sustain the fight against smuggling and strengthening inter-agency collaboration to secure Nigeria’s borders’’.
In keeping with the Comptroller’s orders, the seized jerrycans of 25 litres each and drums of PMS, were said to have been sold at a controlled price of N10,000.00 for each jerrycan of 25 litres of PMS , to ensure that residents of the state benefit from the smuggled petrol rather than the smugglers, who are economic saboteurs.
Compt. Chidi Nwakureke , Area Controller, Kebbi Command, who has not been lucky in making such quantities petrol seizures in the state despite the numerous transit routes used by the smugglers in the state in cris-crossing Nigeria and Niger Republic had given his words to combating smuggling as well as curb illicit trade activities in the state.
The Customs Comptroller was said to have assured stakeholders, both within and outside the state of the Command’s dedication ‘’to enforcing trade regulations as contained in the country’s 2025, fiscal policy.
Hear Him: We remain committed to facilitating trade and ensuring a seamless business environment for Legitimate traders. He has a message for the smugglers that ‘’the Command would not only intensify its anti-smuggling operations in all nooks and crannies of the state but will do everything within its powers to bring down smuggling to its lowest possible level in the state’’. Compt. Nwakureke, may have taken advantage of Operation Whirwind event to showcase its intercepted hundreds of jerrycans and drums of PMS, to the public, to show case te Command recent ontraband seizures in the state.
The Kebbi Command, Area Command Area Controller, was said to have told those that cares to listen that the recent contraband seizures by the Command underscores the effectiveness of intelligence-driven operations. He was said to have commended the Command Patrol Team officers who had not allowed the activities of the Bandits and Lakurawa Groups operatives in the state to discourage them frm dong their job of enforcing the Federal Government trade regulations.
