Nigeria has lost 1.41billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) valued at N1.57 trillion in less than three months to smugglers.
Findings revealed that some of the product was smuggled through the creeks and porous borders in jerricans, drums and tankers.
However, data of seizures by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) indicated 1.74 million litres valued at N1.94 billion have been recovered from smugglers between May and July 2024 from the Badagry, Bakasi creeks and other porous land borders through its operation whirlwind team.
In the first quarter of 2024, the Federal Government, through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), spent N2.63 trillion on PMS imports when a litre of PMS landed in the port at the rate of N878, leading to importation of three billion litres for the period as Cross River, Ogun and Adamawa became the hotbed of fuel.
Findings from NCS revealed that 343,750 litres of the product were intercepted in July alone, 569,013 litres in June and 280,135 litres in May, 2024.
In June, 45,700 litres of the fuel were impounded in Ogun State, 79, 900 litres from Calabar creeks in July. This week, 10 vessels have arrived with 158,000 tonnes (158 million litres) of petrol valued at N176.4 billion at Bulk Oil Jetty (BOJ), Apapa, Kirikiri Phase II, Calabar, Warri and Rivers port jetties.
Data from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA)’s Shipping Position explained that at BOJ, only Aquarius was moored with 23,000 tonnes, while Ayodeji and Ashabi with 15,000 tonnes and 10,000 tonnes have started offloading the product at Kirikiri Phae II jetty.
The shipping data noted that Calabar port jetty would take de – livery of 25,000 tonnes from ST Il – haam with 15,000 tonnes, Errina, 10,000 tonnes and Balham, 15,000 tonnes.
Also, it explained that four vessel would discharge 60,000 tonnes of the petroleum product at Warri, saying that AL Aremu, had been moored with 15,000 tonnes; Mycroft, 15,000 tonnes; ST Walga,15000 tonnes and Matrix S. Ilu, 15,000 tonnes as Rivers Port berthed Lady Victoria with 10,000 tonnes of the fuel on Saturday.
Recalled that the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi said in Yola, Adamawa State that two weeks after the inauguration of the special operations on May 31, 2024, the CGC displayed a combined total seizure of 280,135 litres of PMS worth over 195.5million.
He said that a total of 45,000 litres of PMS in a tanker was seized at Mubi, Adamawa State in June, noting that over N600 million of petrol were recovered in the period.
Adeniyi said: “We have received credible intelligence on the relative stability of the price of PMS around the border states, this is easily attributed to disruptions in the operations of smugglers.
“On Friday May 31, 2024, a total of 45,000 litres of PMS in a tanker was seized at Mubi, Adamawa State. On Saturday, June 1, 2024, a total of 45,000 litres of PMS in a tanker was also seized at Mubi, Adamawa, while between Monday, June 3, 2024 and Friday, June 7, 2024, a total of 92,928 litres of PMS in 25 litres of different sizes of jerry cans at Mubi, Song-Wuroboki, MubiSahuda road and Gidan MadaraSahuda road, in Adamawa state and others in Illela, Sokoto and Agbaragba creek in Mfum border of Cross River State.”
Adeniyi added that NCS had recorded significant seizures of 129,185 litres of PMS from unpatriotic individuals attempting to deprive Nigerians of access to fuel and cause unnecessary hardship valued at over N90,558,685.