A statement by the Nigerian Army on its official X handle said the suspects were arrested during a sting operation on Friday along Abong-Kurmi Baissa Road in Taraba State, between Nigeria and Cameroon border.
The suspects identified as Jafaru Adamu, 32; Auwal Haruna, 34; Umar Dahiru; Mubarak Abdullahi, 20; Saidu Musa, 26; Bashiru Ibrahim, 18; Danlami Yahuza, 19, and Abubakar Abdullahi, 19, were caught on their way to the border with large quantity of fuel.
According to the Army, the suspects confessed to smuggling and selling fuel to the Ambazonian rebels who have been prohibited from entering Nigeria.
“The suspects revealed that they have previously bought fuel from Gassol and Bali local government areas at the rate of ₦950 per litre.
“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,” the Army said.
It said investigation led to the identification of other members of the smuggling syndicate, who were also arrested.
They are Alhaji Abdulmumini, Jafaru Adamu, Babilu Zubairu, Sule Abong, and Mark Akawu, the chairman of the syndicate based in Abong, a border community between Kurmi LGA of Taraba State and the Republic of Cameroon.