Nigeria Customs to Auction Seized Petrol at ₦400 per Litre, Amid Calls For Transparency

Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced the auctioning of 15,325 litres of seized petrol to members of the public at ₦400 per litre, an initiative said to be aimed at easing transportation challenges during the festive season.

The National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind made this announcement, Assistant Comptroller General (ACG) Hussein Ejibunu, during a press briefing held at the Customs Training College in Ikeja on Saturday, December 21, 2024.

Ejibunu detailed the recent operation, which included the interception of 613 jerrycans of petrol valued at ₦27,565,000 in the Lagos-Ogun axis.

This operation has been ongoing since May 27, 2024, and has consistently yielded positive results,” Ejibunu said. “The Comptroller General of Customs (CGC) has urged operatives to maintain this momentum until economic saboteurs are completely eliminated from the country.

He explained that the seized petrol, after undergoing court condemnation and legal clearance from the office of the Legal Adviser, will be sold at an affordable rate to the public.

Following the directive of the CGC, the seized Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) will be auctioned at ₦10,000 per 25-litre container, Ejibunu noted. “This initiative will help ease transportation challenges faced by Nigerians during this festive period.

Recall that on February 28, 2024, Fisayo Soyombo, Founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), in an exclusive report, uncovered smuggling activities by the NCS, aiding illegal supplies of motorcycles and hard drugs to terrorists in northern Nigeria through South-West (Ogun State) border. Soyombo also went undercover to expose smuggling activities within the NCS.

West Africa Weekly also reported that President Bola Tinubu approved a 12-month extension of service for Comptroller MT Awe and other top officials of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), despite concerns over brewing scandal within the agency regarding delayed retirements and lobbying for service extensions.

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