By Richard Akintade, Osogbo
About seven petrol station workers in Osun State were apprehended by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for allegedly hoarding petroleum products.
The NSCDC deployed officers from the Anti-Vandalism Unit to monitor the sale of petrol in the Osogbo area.
At some fuel stations, motorists were observed queuing to purchase fuel (Premium Motor Spirit), but the petrol attendants refused to serve them.
The arrested individuals included attendants, managers, and supervisors from various filling stations in Osogbo.
Prior to these arrests, the Osun NSCDC had issued a warning to filling stations in the state, cautioning them against misinterpreting the inaugural address of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu regarding the end of fuel subsidy in the country.
The NSCDC expressed disappointment at the way filling stations in the state had chosen to inflict hardship on the citizens, deeming it unnecessary.
Under the supervision of Deputy Commandant of the Corps, Vincent Ganbo Linus, who oversees Operations, the NSCDC conducted monitoring activities in Osogbo.
They apprehended seven petrol attendants for offenses such as hoarding, price hiking, and refusal to open their reservoirs after claiming to be out of fuel.
Among the visited filling stations were NNPCL located at Ring Road, Osogbo, AA Rano, Abfarsafeway filling station, Ilesa Garage, Solwal Concepts Nig Limited, Owode Ilesa Garage, and B-Top, among others.
Linus stated that their aim was to monitor compliance levels and ensure that petroleum marketers dispensed products at the regular price.
He expressed dismay at the artificial scarcity of petroleum products created by the marketers following President Bola Tinubu’s announcement of subsidy removal.
Linus described their actions as sabotage and an attempt to impose hardship on the public.
Meanwhile, Agboola Sunday, the State Commandant of the NSCDC, warned filling station owners in Osun to cease hoarding petroleum products, emphasizing that the NSCDC would continue to monitor sales across the state.
He cautioned against any actions that could be construed as economic sabotage by fuel stations engaging in the practice of hoarding and selling products at exorbitant prices.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in Osogbo increased the pump prices of petrol (PMS) by over 200 percent, resulting in fuel being sold at the rate of N500 per litre.
A staff member at NNPCL Ring Road Osogbo confirmed receiving directives instructing them to sell petrol at this elevated price during the NSCDC’s monitoring operation.
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