In the Niger Delta region, a massive oil smuggling operation has been ongoing for decades, with thousands of liters of gasoline being stolen from refineries and smuggled into neighboring Benin. The smuggling network involves local gangs, corrupt officials, and a complex system of clandestine refineries and ports. The operation is extremely profitable, with some smugglers earning up to €15 per hour, but it also comes with great risks, including accidents, explosions, and pollution. The environmental damage is severe, with oil spills and pollution destroying the local ecosystem and forcing fishermen to abandon their livelihoods. The Nigerian government has tried to crack down on the smuggling, but the operation is too large and well-organized, with smugglers using bribes and intimidation to evade authorities. The investigation highlights the human cost of the smuggling operation, including the lives lost in accidents and the devastating impact on local communities.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. In Benin, motorcycles are used to transport anything, including fuel.
2. For a few euros, motorcycles can withstand up to 700 liters of gasoline.
3. Accidents involving gasoline transportation can cause fires and spills.
4. Reckless bikers carry contraband gasoline sold in makeshift gas stations.
5. There are thousands of makeshift gas stations scattered throughout Benin.
6. The price of gasoline at these stations defies competition with official stations.
7. The Benin government loses around 20 million euros due to this illegal trade.
8. The government turns a blind eye to this trade as it provides a living for a quarter of the population.
9. Neighboring Nigeria is one of the biggest oil producers in the world.
10. Thousands of liters of gasoline are stolen from refineries and smuggled across the border into Benin.
11. Nigerian gasoline is of excellent quality, attracting big oil companies and gangs of thieves.
12. Thieves loot oil pipelines in the middle of the night.
13. To escape the police, bandits hide their illegal refineries in the mangroves.
14. The mangrove is an impenetrable marine forest, making it an ideal hiding place for smugglers.
15. The Nigerian army has tried to put an end to trafficking but has been unsuccessful.
16. The task of stopping trafficking is impossible due to the vastness of the mangrove.
17. Local residents have abandoned farming and fishing to engage in smuggling.
18. The village of Bolo was transformed from a farming community to a smuggling hub.
19. Around 60% of the people in the village are involved in gasoline trafficking.
20. Smugglers use crude oil stolen from big oil companies and refine it the old-fashioned way.
21. The refining process involves heating crude oil and cooling the vapors to produce gasoline.
22. The gasoline is sold to smugglers, who transport it to Cotonou in Benin.
23. The pipeline that supplies the nearby refinery is secretly hijacked by smugglers.
24. Smugglers pay bribes to soldiers to avoid arrest.
25. Daniel, a sand fisherman, has seen his income reduced due to pollution.
26. Many people in the area have lost their livelihoods due to pollution.
27. The dream of many locals is for the situation to improve and for them to earn a decent living.
28. Crude smugglers plan a dangerous and illegal operation to steal oil from a big refinery.
29. The smugglers' boat is filled with at least 5000 liters of oil in under ten minutes.
30. The boat is a "floating bomb" due to the risk of explosion.
31. The smugglers' leader sells more and more gasoline and needs large quantities of crude.
32. A huge barge is built to transport the crude, containing approximately 100,000 liters of oil.
33. The barge is a significant risk, with a high risk of explosion.
34. Every month, smuggling refineries take the equivalent of four tank trucks.
35. The pipeline that supplies the nearby refinery passes through a man's land, and he secretly hijacks part of the crude.
36. The crude is resold to smugglers in the area.
37. The diversion is used to fill boats with crude oil.
38. The crude oil is transported to a clandestine port between Nigeria and Benin.
39. The port is well-organized, with a manager for arrivals and problems with authorities.
40. A commission is received on each drum landed, and part of the money is used to buy the silence of customs officers.
41. At least 1000 tank trucks of gasoline come into Benin from Nigeria through clandestine ports every day.
42. The activity along this border never stops.
43. Antwan works for a trafficker, collecting gas cans every day.
44. He uses a small motorbike, which is not powerful enough to carry the load up a hill, so he makes two trips.
45. To prevent the cans from exploding, Antwan sucks the air inside to make them as thin as possible.
46. He can load fourteen jerrycans, or 700 liters of fuel, onto his motorbike.
47. Antwan takes the small dirt roads to avoid customs officers.
48. He earns €5 a day, which is nothing compared to the risks he takes on every journey.
49. If an accident occurs with such a quantity of fuel, the drivers are usually sure to catch fire.
50. A dozen motorcyclists die every year, immolated on these roads.
51. The big oil companies are responsible for the ecological disaster caused by crude oil.
52. The disaster is likely to continue for many years to come.