Despite the closure of the land borders across Nigeria, smugglers are having a field day smuggling fuel into the neighbouring Benin Republic.

This is according to residents of Idi-Iroko in the Ipokia Local Government Area of Ogun State.

They alleged on Wednesday that the smugglers are aided by the Joint Task Force at the border communities.

Speaking in a The Punch Newspaper report, the residents lamented that the policy by the government to ban fuel supply within a 20 km radius from the borders has only led to untold hardships on the people in the border areas in the state.

The residents also alleged that some petroleum marketers in the 20 km radius have continued to bribe their way through all the checkpoints to smuggle fuel into the Benin Republic.

It was also gathered that petrol marketers, whose filling stations were sealed because they fell within the 20km, reportedly partnered with some owners of filling stations in Owode which is 28km away from the border.

A resident, identified as Akinola Elijah, alleged the security agencies of sabotaging the effort of the federal government by allegedly collecting bribe from smugglers.

He explained that smuggling of fuel has now become major means of survival for the people of the area.

He added,

“There is fuel, but ,they are smuggling it into the neighbouring country.

“Smuggling of fuel into this place is in two ways. Those that are using it to do business. They are paying the security personnel and taking the fuel to the Benin Republic.

“The second set is those that are using motorcycles to get the fuel and come back to sell it as black market to us at the price we cannot afford to get it.

“The situation of things has turned everyone to a petroleum marketer because whoever has the opportunity of getting five litres would be able to sell it at higher rate.

“The issue there now is that all the security agencies are the one sabotaging the effort of federal government on this issue.

“We understand the plight of the federal government on this issue, but there is no way they can achieve with the activities of those security men.

“Some petroleum marketers have gone to Owode, rent filling stations and they have started selling fuel there.

“They will pay at all the 35 checkpoints and will start loading the fuel and started sending it to Benin Republic.

“Federal government cannot achieve anything with this, they are just putting the problem on the masses because we, artisans don’t have anything.

“We cannot do anything because this fuel is our major survival over here. We that are buying five litres for domestic use are the one being disturbed by this government policy.

“The security agencies are allowing people with tanker loaded with fuel to pass after they have collected bribe from them .”

Also speaking, another resident , Ajibade Idowu lamented that the directive of the FG has tempted many of the residents in the border area to engage in smuggling of fuel.

Idowu explained that the closure had led to a hike in transportation cost and goods in Ipokia area of the state.

He said,

“We don’t have fuel up till this moment. We buy fuel at N300 per litre and what is being sold to us as a litre is not up to a litre.

“They are using shampoo plastic to measure it. Some people use bottle and it is not up to a litre if you measure it with a regular litre.

“The fuel is not even available at all, because before you can take the little one from Owode to here, I think you have to pass through a lot of things.

“There is no light, we have to power our generator, so, we have no choice.

“We have to keep on praying and begging since we don’t have anything we can do to it from our side.

“The fuel scarcity has affected everything such as transport and every other thing.

“From here to Ipokia is now N400, which was initially N200. Everything has been affected. Those that have school bus manage, but those who do not have buses spend extra in getting to their schools every day.

“The hospitals are working, but not as before because, there was no fuel to power generator in the night. They manage it by powering it for some hours and off it for some hours too.

“I think it is not a crime to come from border side, it is just unfortunate that the whole Ipokia is within the 20km radius and none of the filling station in Ipokia local government is working.”

Attempts to get a comment from the National Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, Joseph Attah failed as he could not be reached as of the time of filing the report.

The Punch