Ogun border fuel ban frustrates communities as residents call for full lifting to ease hardship and curb black-market petrol prices

Ogun State residents have renewed calls for the complete lifting of the border fuel ban, highlighting the ongoing economic hardship and inflated black-market prices in communities along Nigeria’s borders.

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The appeal comes six years and two months after former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration prohibited filling stations within 20 kilometres of land borders, a measure intended to curb fuel smuggling and block terrorist access to petroleum products.

Border communities in Ipokia, Imeko-Afon, Yewa North, and Yewa South local government areas have been particularly affected.

Ahmed Ismaila, Chairman of the Community Development Association in Iwoye-Ketu, described transportation costs soaring during shortages, with black-market fuel prices peaking at N2,000 per litre.

Partial waivers granted to select stations in 2020 and May 2025 have provided some relief.

However, residents report that limited supply and irregular sales have forced them to sleep at stations overnight or pay up to N5,000 for transport to access fuel.

Oba Akintunde Akinyemi, Eselu of Eselu Kingdom, questioned why the ban persists despite the removal of fuel subsidies, urging President Bola Tinubu to restore full access while maintaining robust border security.

Comrade Yinka Folarin, National President of the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights, described the policy as discriminatory, noting that restricted fuel access undermines residents’ constitutional and human rights to an adequate standard of living.

Folarin called for security reinforcements along borders and unrestricted fuel sales to revive local economies.

The Nigeria Customs Service has reported the seizure of over 190,000 litres of petrol in Ogun and neighbouring Lagos in the past year.

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Residents insist that lifting the ban fully would stabilise prices, reinvigorate businesses, and uphold socio-economic rights.