The Nigeria Customs Service’s Operation Whirlwind Taskforce has attributed the increasing rate of fuel smuggling in the country to fluctuations in foreign exchange.
This was disclosed in a statement by the coordinator of the taskforce, Husseini Ejibunnu during a press briefing where seized premium motor spirit was displayed.
Ejibunnu explained that the demand for foreign currency is driving many smugglers to engage in illicit fuel trading, as they seek dollars to facilitate their operations.
“It causes economic and security challenges. Economic in the essence that when you have an excess of this outside, it tells on our exchange rate. Because right now, there are so many smugglers out there looking for dollars to go out there, which will affect our naira,” Ejibunnu stated.
He added that smuggling of the product had made fuel unavailable to Nigerians.
“Another economic disadvantage is that we in the country won’t see the product to use.
“The security implications are grievous, in the sense that when these products fall into the hands of non-state actors, terrorists, and kidnappers, they would use these things to oil their machines to come in and attack us,” he said.
He urged Nigerians and the general public to assist the Nigeria Customs Service by providing information on smuggling activities.
“Now it behoves all of us to come up with credible information as to those that are supplying these products to non-state actors to come and attack us.
“The irony of things is that why do we want to oil the machine of our attackers? We are giving them power, we gave them the energy to come in by giving them these products.
“If we are able to cut the supply chain of this, it would have reduced their activities by 50 per cent because when they don’t see fuel to use, they won’t be able to come in,” Ejibunnu said.
He also noted that while Operation Whirlwind was initially planned for three months, its duration has been extended by an additional four months.
