The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Mele Kyari says petrol smuggling across Nigeria’s border communities has dropped to 25 million litres daily in the last two months.
Before the period, 32 million litres of petrol were smuggled across the borders. The drop was traced to the crackdown on smugglers by the Operation Whirlwind’ of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
Kyari, at a meeting with the Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi at the weekend in Abuja, commended the rapid impact of the NCS “Operation Whirlwind” in reducing the smuggling of premium motor spirit also known as petrol to border states, stating that the smuggling of PMS poses a critical challenge for the country.
Requesting the CGC’s assistance to minimise the smuggling of petrol outside Nigeria, Kyari pledged NNPC’s continued support towards combating the crime.
“We are available to provide any necessary support to combat this crime in our borders. We are happy to work with you, and we appreciate the enormous impact of your collaboration so far,” said NNPC Boss.
On his part, Adeniyi emphasised his commitment to reviving the partnership between NSC and NNPCL to combat the smuggling of petroleum products outside Nigeria. He termed the operation of smugglers an act of economic sabotage.
He said, “The operations that we have done have thrown up several issues, but despite that, I am happy we have made fantastic seizures from different parts of the country, and we saw the ingenious ways in which smugglers take supplies from the depot and place them in their stations.
“It is an act of economic sabotage, and we have arrested those that we have seen, confiscated the products, sealed up the filling stations, and have been handed over to the regulatory authorities to handle.”
In June 2024, at the inauguration of Operation Whirlwind in Yola, capital of Adamawa State, CGC Adeniyi announced the seizure of 150,950 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) valued at N105,965,391. He said the petroleum products were intercepted nationwide in various locations within the month.
Moreso, at a media briefing recently held at the Seme-Badagry border, Lagos State, the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Comptroller Hussein Ejibunu, announced the interception of 48,750 litre of fuel valued at over 35 million Naira within the past, adding that the success is a testament to the operation’s effectiveness in increasing fuel availability and preventing it diversion to unauthorized locations.
Three days ago, NCS reported the seizure of 11,650 litres of fuel in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, which will be auctioned to the public with the expectation of generating eight million, one hundred and seventy-eight thousand, one hundred eighty-three (N8,178,183) that would be paid into the Federal Government’s account.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), launched Operation Whirlwind on May 27 to end the illicit exportation of Petroleum Products.
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