Esther Oritse
Lagos — In a decisive move to curtail the smuggling of petroleum products out of Nigeria, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), in collaboration with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Agency (NMDPRA), has shut down 20 fuel stations across the country implicated in the diversion and smuggling of petroleum products.
Speaking to newsmen in Lagos on Tuesday, the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Assistant Controller General of Customs Hussain Ejibunu, disclosed that the operation’s crackdown on fuel smuggling has resulted in the closure of 20 fuel stations.
According to Ejibunu, six fuel stations in Lagos (names withheld) and ten in Sokoto-Kebbi have been sealed, while five stations have had their licenses revoked.
He added that several suspected fuel smugglers have been arrested and are currently facing prosecution in courts nationwide.
Ejibunu further revealed that Operation Whirlwind has handed over approximately 16 tankers to NMDPRA in Adamawa for their involvement in smuggling and diversion activities.
Ejibunu stated: “When it comes to the quantum of arrests, we handed over about 15 or 16 tankers to NMDPRA in Adamawa alone. In Kano, we handed over about four tankers. In Kwara, we handed over three, and in Lagos, we handed close to six. Additionally, several fuel stations were shut down, including ten in Kebbi and four or five in Sokoto.”
He warned that filling stations caught dispensing fuel into jerry cans for onward smuggling outside Nigeria would face severe consequences. “If caught, we call NMDPRA to seal the station, and we take custody of the products as evidence of the crime,” he stated.
Confirming the development, NMDPRA’s spokesman, Mr. Ene Ita, emphasized the agency’s strong collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service to combat the diversion and smuggling of petroleum products.
“We have been working closely with Customs for a couple of years now under the framework of the successor program to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC) Operation White. The collaboration is aimed at stopping illicit activities such as smuggling and product diversion, even by means like jerry cans,” Ita noted.
He added that the partnership has significantly reduced fuel smuggling activities across the country, underscoring the effectiveness of joint operations in tackling this persistent issue.
