Customs Hands Over Sealed Badagry Petrol Station to NMDPRA for Sanction Over Alleged Fuel Smuggling

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), through its anti-smuggling task force, Operation Whirlwind, has officially transferred a sealed filling station in Lagos to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) for necessary regulatory sanctions.

The handover, which took place on Friday, October 24, 2025, involves a facility identified as Adeola Ade Plc, located along the Owode-Apa Road in Badagry, Lagos State. The petrol station was initially sealed on October 4, 2025, after credible intelligence and a subsequent investigation uncovered severe infractions inconsistent with national regulations governing petroleum product retail.

According to the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, Kola Oladeji, the station was allegedly involved in the smuggling and illegal diversion of petroleum products, a practice that causes significant revenue loss to the government and disrupts domestic supply.

“It is with a deep sense of duty and commitment to national service that I formally hand over the sealed filling station… to the NMDPRA for further regulatory action and sanction,” Oladeji stated during the formal handover ceremony. He emphasized that the transfer was carried out to ensure due process is followed, as the NMDPRA is the statutory body empowered to investigate, sanction, and ensure compliance within the downstream sector.

The handover underscores the intensified inter-agency collaboration aimed at sanitizing the downstream oil sector and tackling economic sabotage. The Customs Service reiterated its resolve to sustain its coordinated crackdown on illegal fuel trading, sending a clear message to operators that non-compliance will not be tolerated.