Fresh petrol crises might be brewing in Nigeria following the threat by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) that there are plans by its members to shut down all filling stations across the country from Tuesday (Today).
IPMAN warned that it would be forced to cut down supplies from Tuesday should the Federal Government and Inspector General of Police fail to address alleged illegalities perpetrated by the Police Force.
This was made known by IPMAN’s National Public Relation Officer (PRO), Yakubu Suleiman yesterday during a chat with newsmen.
Africa Today News, New York gathered that some police officers had 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.
He said aggrieved members and officials at state, zonal, and depot levels have met and resolved to shut down filling stations over the incident.
He said, ‘Whereas there is subsisting Supreme Court judgement of December 2018, that have 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.’
Suleiman frowned at the police siege on their Secretariat, claiming that a similar incident led to the closure of the Suleja depot last week.
‘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.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK