Cooking gas crisis: FG orders crackdown on hoarders and illegal storage operators
By Aboki Forex —
The federal government has directed security agencies to go after hoarders, illegal storage operators, and those diverting cooking gas as prices hit N2,500 per kilogram in some areas.
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, gave the order at a stakeholders meeting on the rising cost of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). He told security operatives to arrest hoarders, shut down illegal storage sites, and stop product diversion across the country.
Ekpo said the government will not tolerate activities that create artificial scarcity or push prices higher. He noted that such actions frustrate efforts to make cooking gas available and affordable for Nigerians.
The minister revealed that the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has been told to step up market surveillance, work with operators, and cooperate with security agencies to fix supply and pricing problems.
“I have directed the NMDPRA to intensify monitoring, engage operators, and work with security agencies to discourage hoarding, eliminate artificial scarcity, and strengthen distribution and pricing transparency,” Ekpo said.
He warned that improving supply alone will not work if distribution inefficiencies, speculative storage, hoarding, and logistics bottlenecks continue to distort the market. The minister said practices that undermine public confidence in the sector will not be tolerated, and transparency in distribution and pricing remains a key government priority.
Ekpo assured Nigerians that there is no imminent shortage of cooking gas. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to maintaining adequate domestic supply.
LPG marketers have urged the government to prioritise domestic gas supply to help stabilise prices and boost product availability.