1,800 fuel outlets shut in Nigeria over smuggling

Nearly 2,000 fuel stations in northeast Nigeria were closed in protest against an anti-smuggling crackdown, leading motorists to resort to the black market for petrol. The chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) for Adamawa and Taraba states, Dahiru Buba, stated that petrol stations ceased operations after the Nigeria Customs Service confiscated tanker trucks and shut down certain outlets suspected of smuggling fuel to neighboring Cameroon.

For years, black market vendors in Cameroon, Benin, and Togo have relied on smuggled gasoline from Nigeria. When Nigeria ended its petrol subsidy last year, this black market trade declined, but it revived after Nigeria capped petrol prices in June 2023, despite the devaluation of its currency.

Under the "Operation Whirlwind" initiative, Customs initially impounded some tanker trucks owned by IPMAN members, releasing them after protests. However, continued seizures and closures prompted IPMAN to halt operations in protest. "We wrote to Nigeria Customs again but received no response, so we decided to go on strike," Buba explained, adding that over 1,800 outlets had shut down. "This is our livelihood, and we cannot remain silent when our members are treated unjustly."

Customs spokesperson Mangsi Lazarus confirmed the seizures were due to the use of tanker trucks for smuggling petrol. In Adamawa's capital, Yola, black market vendors exploited the fuel shortage, selling petrol for 1,400 naira ($0.9459) per liter, compared to the official pump prices of 650 to 750 naira.