September 10, (THEWILL) – The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has tightened surveillance across Nigeria’s borders to curb petroleum product smuggling.
National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, made this known at a high-level stakeholders meeting held on Monday, in Abuja.
Key stakeholders at the meeting include representatives from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) among others.
A statement issued on Tuesday, by the Spokesperson of the NCS, Abdullahi Maiwada, said the meeting was convened to address the challenge of petroleum smuggling in Nigeria.
Ribadu, who described petroleum smuggling as a “cancer that kills”, however, stressed that the nation’s security apparatus must agree to work together to tackle the menace.
In his remarks, Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, emphasised the Service’s commitment to fulfilling its legal mandate, especially in light of the NCS Act 2023.
CGC Adeniyi, who acknowledged the complexity of petroleum products smuggling, reiterated the NCS’s resolve to address the challenge, pointing to recent operations, led by Comptroller Ejibunu, which were aimed at dismantling smuggling syndicates.
“What we are doing here today is a clear demonstration of the good intentions of the Office of the National Security Adviser, which has provided us with a platform to mount and execute special operations against smuggling.
“The repositioning of Nigeria’s economy and the oil sector is a crucial objective, and as an organisation, the Nigeria Customs Service is ready to play its role in achieving this.
“The Service is leveraging innovative technologies to enhance border security. One key initiative is the integration of real-time monitoring systems, similar to those used by Dubai Customs, which have successfully employed blockchain technology to track and authenticate oil and gas movements.
“We remain committed to ensuring that legitimate businesses thrive, while at the same time, we will not hesitate to suppress any form of illegitimate activities in the petroleum sector,” Adeniyi said.
Also, the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Comptroller Hussein Ejibunu, emphasised the need for stronger inter-agency collaboration.
