Controller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali has said that Nigeria’s subsidized Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol is being smuggled out of the country in large quantities to as far as Mali.

Speaking at the public hearing organised by the House of Representatives’ Committee on Finance on the 2022-2024 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper, Ali decried the Department of Petroleum Resources’ approval of establishment of filling stations along the land borders.

He also said that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation keeps supplying the commodity to the stations against Customs’ advice.

Ali said;

“The issue of smuggling of fuel from Nigeria to the neighbouring countries is simply because of price differential. The prices outside our shores and borders are higher, and that is what attracts people to move this product outside. And this product is not only limited to Benin, Niger or Chad, it goes up to Mali.”