Customs Strike Hard: N104m Smuggled Fuel, Donkey Skins Seized in Bold Adamawa/Taraba Operation

Customs Strike Hard: N104m Smuggled Fuel, Donkey Skins Seized in Bold Adamawa/Taraba Operation

On a quiet Tuesday morning, in the heart of Yola, a room inside the Customs House buzzed with tension and quiet pride. The air was thick with anticipation as the press filed in, cameras poised, pens ready. The stakes were high. Lives, animals, and Nigeria’s economy were all tied to what the Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service had to say.

Behind the microphone stood a Customs officer, not just with figures and facts, but with stories of real battles fought across the hidden backroads and rugged frontiers between Adamawa and Taraba States. Smuggling isn’t just about illicit trade; it’s about what our people lose every time fuel, resources, and even animals vanish across illegal routes.

In the past four weeks, operatives of the Adamawa/Taraba Area Command made seizures worth over N104,456,550. That number isn’t just a line in a ledger. It tells the story of thousands of litres of fuel, packed tightly into jerry cans and drums, meant to be ferried out of Nigeria into a neighboring country. A country that didn’t suffer the subsidy pain Nigerians did. A country that didn’t bleed to stabilize fuel supply.

Yet the smugglers tried. 36,835 litres of petrol, packed into 1,219 jerry cans and 24 drums, were intercepted before they could disappear into that pipeline of illegal profit. That fuel was meant for Nigerian homes, Nigerian schools, and Nigerian drivers. Now, thanks to sharp intelligence and sheer determination, it will be auctioned to Nigerians instead. Not wasted. Not lost.

But fuel wasn’t the only casualty. In seven dirty sacks, officers found something chilling: 101 pieces of raw donkey skin. One skin. One life. One donkey brutally slaughtered. Gone.

“These were 101 donkeys killed. Animals that farmers rely on to carry their goods, women use for transport, and children even play with in rural homes,” the Customs official said, his voice heavy with emotion. “If we don’t stop this, we won’t just lose donkeys. We’ll lose heritage. We’ll lose livelihood.”

The trade in donkey hides is not just illegal. It’s deadly. And it’s unsustainable. These smugglers weren’t just chasing money. They were chasing extinction.

From the Girei-Wuro Boki axis to the dangerous bends of the Belel-Farang route, officers patrolled under threat. On social media, videos surfaced of Customs men being harassed, assaulted, and ridiculed by smugglers who now fight back, not just with bribes, but with fists and fire. Still, the operatives held their ground.

“We’ve been intimidated. We’ve been assaulted. But we won’t stop,” the spokesperson stated firmly. “These saboteurs are suffocating Nigeria’s progress. We’re here to stop them, lawfully, but decisively.”

The seizures didn’t happen in one swoop. They happened over multiple dates, across volatile locations like Mubi-Sahuda road, Maiha road, Gurin-Fufore axis, and even up to Apawa-Jalingo and Gembu. Fuel was hidden in pits. Donkey skins were covered in tarps. But the operatives had eyes, ears, and intel.

And they weren’t working alone. Backing them were support units like FOU ‘D’, CIU, and SIS. Add to that a new drive from the top. The Customs Service, under CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has embraced digital tech, smarter border management, and aggressive intelligence-led operations. The result? Bigger busts. Better coordination. Bolder action.

“We’re not against traders. We’re against traffickers,” the official reminded. “If you’re a patriot