The Nigeria Customs Service has revealed that petrol smuggling remains rampant despite the removal of fuel subsidies. Comptroller General Adewale Adeniyi explained that the major driver is the price difference between Nigeria and neighbouring countries.
“Despite the removal of the fuel subsidy, it is still profitable for smugglers to take fuel illegally from Nigeria. You know that the prices are dynamic,” he said during the service’s first quarter briefing in Abuja.
He noted that although Nigeria no longer subsidises fuel, its pump price—ranging from N880 to N950 per litre—is still significantly lower than in nearby countries. “Is lower compared to around N1600 and N2000 per litre in Cameroon, Niger, and the Benin Republic,” Adeniyi stated.
He added that while some neighbouring countries are seeing slight drops in fuel costs, the price gap remains large. “While the price of the products is coming down to around N850 and N900 per liter in places like Cameroon, it is close to N2,000 per liter, in Niger, it is N1,600 per liter, and the same with the Benin Republic.”
To address the issue, he said, “That is why we launched the operating Whirlwind.”
