The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has condemned the latest increase in petrol prices across Nigeria, describing it as a cruel, insensitive, and economically destructive decision that has further weaponised poverty against already suffering citizens.

HURIWA said the abrupt hike in petrol prices triggered by Dangote Refinery’s increase of gantry price by N75 per liter, triggering filling stations now selling between N1,365 and N1,370 represents an economic ambush on Nigerians, a calculated economic exploitation and hemorrhage unleashed on the impoverished and massively deprived citizens who also seems to have lost the sense of national outrage legally demonstrated through peaceful protests.

Also yesterday, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) increased the pump price of petrol in both Lagos and Abuja, citing higher supply costs in the downstream sector. NNPCL stations in Lagos now sell petrol at N1,320 per litre, up from N1,245. In Abuja, the price rose to N1,364 from N1,295, marking an increase of N69 per litre.

HURIWA warned that the consequences will be immediate and devastating. “Millions of small businesses which is the backbone of Nigeria’s informal economy are now on the brink of extinction.

“It is both shocking and unacceptable that Nigeria, a leading crude oil-producing nation, has become a global symbol of energy injustice, where citizens pay exorbitant prices for a resource their country abundantly produces. The justification being pushed—rising crude oil prices linked to tensions in the Middle East—is not only weak but fundamentally dishonest. Countries directly affected by these tensions have not imposed such punishing fuel costs on their citizens, yet Nigerians are being forced to bear the brunt of global volatility without any form of protection.

“We therefore demand immediate and decisive intervention by President Bola Tinubu to halt this reckless escalation of petrol prices. The government must urgently implement price stabilisation mechanisms, enforce strict regulatory oversight, and ensure that no private entity is allowed to exploit Nigerians under the guise of market forces.