Fuel marketers threaten to cut down supplies from Tuesday

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has warned it might also cut down supplies from Tuesday should the Federal Government and Inspector General of Police fail to address alleged illegalities perpetrated by the Police Force.

National Public Relation Officer (PRO) of IPMAN, Yakubu Suleiman, said this on Sunday in a chat with reporters in Jos.

Some police officers last Friday were alleged to have invaded IPMAN National Secretariat for some unstated reasons.

Suleiman described the invasion as an illegal clampdown over alleged sponsorship by some impostors parading themselves as executives of IPMAN.

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He said aggrieved members and officials at State, zonal and depot levels have met and resolved to shut down filling stations over the incident.

“Whereas there is a subsisting Supreme Court judgement of December 2018, that has since disposed of a suit No. SC15/2015, and ordered that Mr Chinedu Okoronkwo, is our President and Alhaji Danladi Garba Pasali, as National secretary.

“The continued violation of this judgement, even by the police, is causing more harm to the downstream sector of the petroleum industry, which if such is not halted will lead to impunity and anarchy,” he said.

He frowned at the police siege on their Secretariat, adding that a similar incident led to the closure of Suleja depot last week.

He claimed the Suleja incident would have truncated supplies to Abuja and Northern States if not for the National Secretariat intervention.

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“It is true that members of IPMAN in many States across sections of Nigeria, have met and others are meeting and communicating to us that they will shut down, from Tuesday.

“The implications would be there will be a shortage or fuel scarcity in the country,” he said.

The IPMAN PRO called on the Chief Justice of the Federation, the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, NNPC, the National Assembly and Inspector General of Police to act in protection of laid down rules of law.

“We are calling on all arms of government including the security agencies to take the necessary action, towards halting impunity in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry,” he said.