The Federal Government of Nigeria has refused to relax its ban on 400 filing stations along the border communities. On Monday, the Nigeria Customs Service in a statement confirmed that the stations will remain locked as part of the effort of the FG to combat the smuggling of petrol to Niger and other neighboring nations.
Meanwhile, the filling stations have remained shut since 2019 when the Buhari administration announced the clampdown. Despite the presence of a new government, the FG emphasized that the ban will remain in place as fuel scarcity hit Niger Republic, one of the countries surrounding Nigeria.
According to emerging reports, petrol scarcity in Niger Republic has made the cost of the product rise to #8,000 per liter. This development, according to experts, could trigger the smuggling of petrol from Nigeria to the neighboring nation.
In response, the Nigeria Customs Service spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada stated that the agency will keep confiscating smuggled petrol across the country’s borders. He declared that through “Operation Whirlwind”, the customs service will not allow smugglers to get fuel out of Nigeria illegally.
Maiwada disclosed that aside from seizing and confiscating the fuel, kingpins of these smugglers are prosecuted and taken to court. However, petrol marketers have condemned the closure of these filling stations, saying that the development has caused many revenue losses.
How the Nigeria Customs Service intercepted #22.9m worth of petrol in Adamawa
More so, the plea of the marketers fell on the deaf ears of the customs service on the other hand, who insisted on enforcing the closure and stopping fuel smugglers in Nigeria. Recently, the Nigeria Customs Service through the “Operation Whirlwind” intercepted 916 kegs of petrol worth #22.9 million en route to a neighboring country.
In a statement, the agency narrated that the operation went smoothly due to strong intelligence. The Nigeria Customs vowed to remain committed to protecting the country’s resources and ensuring trade compliance.
The operation according to the Customs aligns with the vision of the Tinubu administration to block any leakages that are affecting the prosperity of the Nigerian economy. According to the FG, neighboring countries are enjoying the subsidized fuel meant to ease the burden on Nigerians, leaving the country with a huge financial burden.
Neighboring countries depending on illegal fuel importation from Nigeria further felt the impact of the ban when President Tinubu declared the removal of the fuel subsidy on May 29, 2023. Since the start of March 2025, Niger Republic has been battling with an unprecedented shortage of petrol in its jurisdiction.
Economic activities in the country stopped as filling stations in its capital, Niamey and other towns recently ran out of petrol. According to industry players, Niger Republic had been depending on Nigeria for about 50 percent of its local fuel consumption.
