Breaking News: Customs And NNPCL Join-Forces To Combat Fuel Smuggling (Full-Details)

Breaking News: Customs And NNPCL Join-Forces To Combat Fuel Smuggling (Full-Details)

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) have formed a partnership to tackle fuel smuggling in the country.

Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, announced this collaboration in a statement following a meeting with NNPCL’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, and his delegation at the NCS headquarters on Friday.

Adeniyi emphasized his commitment to strengthening the existing partnership between the NCS and NNPCL to effectively combat the smuggling of petroleum products out of Nigeria.

“The operations that we have conducted have uncovered several issues, but despite these challenges, we have made significant seizures across different parts of the country,” Adeniyi said. “We have discovered the ingenious methods smugglers use to transport supplies from depots to their stations. Some filling stations appear empty at the front, but behind the scenes, hoses are linked through artificial holes in their walls into waiting jerrycans and vehicles, which are then taken across the borders. This is an act of economic sabotage. We have arrested the perpetrators, confiscated the smuggled products, sealed the filling stations, and handed them over to the regulatory authorities.”

Kyari highlighted that the smuggling of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) is a major national challenge and sought the CGC’s assistance to minimize this issue.

“We are ready to provide any necessary support to combat this crime at our borders,” Kyari said. “We are happy to work with you and appreciate the significant impact of our collaboration so far.”