Thu Sep 12 00:30:44 UTC 2024: ## Fuel Smuggling on the Rise in Nigeria: Customs Blames Dollar Demand
**Lagos, Nigeria** – The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has blamed the surging demand for US dollars for the recent increase in fuel smuggling activities within the country. According to Husseini Ejibunnu, Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind Taskforce Team, smugglers are actively seeking dollars to facilitate their operations, which is negatively impacting the Nigerian naira’s exchange rate.
Ejibunnu, while displaying confiscated fuel to journalists, explained that the widespread smuggling not only affects the economy but also poses security threats. He emphasized the impact on fuel availability for Nigerians, with the smuggled fuel often ending up in the hands of criminal groups like terrorists and kidnappers. These groups, he stated, use the fuel to power their vehicles and carry out attacks.
“We are giving them the power, we gave them the energy to come in by giving them these products,” Ejibunnu stressed, urging Nigerians to provide information on smugglers to help curb the activity. He believes that disrupting the fuel supply chain to these groups could significantly reduce their operations.
Operation Whirlwind, initially designed for a three-month period, has been extended by four months to tackle this rising issue. The NCS remains committed to combating fuel smuggling and its detrimental effects on the country’s security and economic stability.
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