Over 400 filling stations owned by independent oil marketers in Nigeria’s border communities have remained shut for about four years, following the Nigerian government’s directive to curb petrol smuggling into neighbouring countries.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) declared on Monday that the stations would remain closed despite growing complaints from marketers over revenue losses.
The NCS insisted on sustaining the crackdown on fuel smuggling through its Operation Whirlwind, particularly due to the recent severe petrol scarcity in Niger Republic.
The situation in Niger has led to a sharp increase in petrol prices, with the commodity selling for as high as N8,000 per litre, raising fears of renewed smuggling.
The NCS spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada, speaking in a recent interview, stressed that the agency would not relent in its operations.
He said, “You can see us everywhere seizing smuggled fuel. Be it in Adamawa, Taraba, Kebbi, Seme, everywhere. I think if there is any successful operation, it is this Operation Whirlwind. We are really on them. We will not allow fuel to get out of Nigeria illegally.
“You confirm this from our recent seizures. We are not giving them space to smuggle fuel. And apart from the seizures, we are prosecuting kingpins of these smugglers.
“In Adamawa, for instance, there are some suspects that we are taking to court.”
When asked about the fate of filling stations in border towns, Maiwada was clear: “Yes, they remain shut.”
Marketers lamented that their members have been out of business since 2019, when former President Muhammadu Buhari banned petrol supply within 20km of the border to prevent subsidised fuel from being diverted to neighbouring countries.
Nigeria shares borders with Niger Republic, Benin, Cameroon, and Chad, all of which have been illegal routes used by smugglers.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chinedu Ukadike, criticised the continued ban, stating, “Over 400 stations were shut since the government banned fuel supply in border communities. Since then, the owners of these filling stations have not been doing anything. But I also know that the office of the NSA has been on that matter. They are working with the NMDPRA to open the filling stations.
“Now we are seeing the efforts of Operation Whirlwind, they should allow the stations to start selling fuel. In line with the PIA, the customs leading this operation are not empowered to seal filling stations. What they are empowered to do is to impound any truck that is crossing the border.”
The fuel crisis in Niger Republic worsened last week as petrol prices surged, forcing the country’s government to turn to Nigeria for help.
Despite strained diplomatic relations, Nigerian government approved the supply of 300 fuel trucks to Niger.
Maazou Oumani Aboubacar, the Commercial Director of Niger’s state-owned oil company Sonidep, confirmed that, “The fuel that came into Niger Republic illegally from Nigeria represented up to half of the market. It supplied the large regions near the border between the two countries.”
With Nigerian smugglers supplying up to 50 per cent of Niger’s daily petrol consumption before 2023, the removal of Nigeria’s fuel subsidy and tighter border controls have left the country struggling to meet its demand.
