KEY POINTS
- Customs to sell seized petrol at ₦400 per litre – Customs.
- A total 15,325 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) worth ₦27.5 million were seized.
- The requirements for running the auction have been finalized legally.
Fifteen thousand three hundred and twenty five litres of seized Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) commonly known as petrol would be sold at ₦400 per litre by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) if auction. It is an effort to ease transportation during the festive season.
Hussein Ejibunu, National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, revealed this when he addressed reporters at the Customs Training College in Ikeja, Lagos.
According to Ejibunu, the ₦27.5 million petrol was taken during operations in Lagos and Ogun states. Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi confirmed that the auction approved a price of ₦10,000 per 25-litre container.
Petrol seized auction to mitigate festive challenges
All legal and procedural requirements have been completed by the NCS and included a court order of condemnation in order to ensure an effective auction process.
Ejibunu said that since May 27 when the operation commenced, the operation has been successful and called to task for the Comptroller-General’s directive to continue to fight the economic saboteurs.
Ejibunu added: ‘This initiative will help relive transportation problems that characterise the yuletide season.’ He added that he called on the public to support its effort to eliminate illegal fuel operations in the country.
Sustained operations had a positive impact
Ejibunu added that Operation Whirlwind has significantly produced results that have aided the NCS in combating smuggled activities. Besides helping ease the festive season, the auction is also indicative of the dedicated nature of the Customs in ensuring that there is enough supply of fuel while ensuring that the law is being complied with.
