Nigerian Army arrests eight men selling unrefined fuel to Cameroonians

A statement on Friday May 24, 2024 by the Director Army Public Relations, Maj Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, revealed that said thr eight men were arrested after counterterrorism forces were tipped on the Nigeria-Cameroon border in Taraba state,near Donga Mantung division.

“In a significant covert operation driven by actionable intelligence and extensive surveillance, troops of Nigerian Army deployed for Counter-terrorism operations along the Nigeria-Cameroon Border in Taraba State have successfully intercepted and apprehended 8 members of a syndicate that specializes in smuggling fuel from Nigeria to the Ambazonian rebels in the Republic of Cameroon to facilitate terrorists’ activities. The sting operation took place on Friday 24 May 2024 along the Abong-Kurmi Baissa Road in Taraba State, between Nigeria and Cameroon border.” The miliatry

The suspects, identified as Jafaru Adamu (32 years), Auwal Haruna (34 years), Umar Dahiru, Mubarak Abdullahi (20 years), Saidu Musa (26 years), Bashiru Ibrahim (18 years), Danlami Yahuaza (19 years), and Abubakar Abdullahi (19 years), were caught enroute the border with large quantity of fuel. During preliminary investigation, the culprits confessed to smuggling and selling fuel to the Cameroonian Ambazonian rebels, who are prohibited from entering Nigeria to purchase the product directly, the Army said.

The suspects revealed that they have previously bought fuel from Gassol and Bali Local Government Areas (LGA) at the rate of ₦950 per liter. However, they discovered that in Takum LGA the fuel was sold at ₦800 per liter, prompting them to source for the product in Takum.

At the time of their arrest, the suspects were traveling in three J5 vehicles, carrying 605 jerry cans, each with a capacity of 40 liters, totaling 24,200 liters of fuel. The fuel, valued at ₦800 per liter, amounts to a total worth of Nineteen Million Three Hundred and Sixty Thousand Naira (₦19,360,000) only.

Further investigation led to the identification of other members of the smuggling syndicate, including Alhaji Abdulmumini, Jafaru Adamu, Babilu Zubairu, Sule Abong, and Mark Akawu, who is reportedly the chairman of the syndicate based in Abong, a border community between Kurmi LGA of Taraba State and the Republic of Cameroon.

This operation marks a significant step in curbing the illegal supply of resources to terrorist groups and enhancing regional security.