Fuel Scarcity: Gov Uzodinma Orders Arrest Of Marketers Selling Petrol Above Pump Price

Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, has threatened to seal off fuel stations selling fuel above the approved government pump price and arrest owners of such facilities.

He issued the threat while addressing the plights of Imo residents during a Church service on Sunday.

Residents of the state have been groaning over rising transportation fares as fuel scarcity which started last month continues to bite harder.

THE WHISTLER had reported that petroleum marketers and tanker drivers in the state had embarked on an industrial action over failure of the Imo State government to pay 100-million-naira compensation awarded by a court to one of their members whose fuel station in Orlu was demolished during the tenure of former Governor Rochas Okorocha.

However, Governor Uzodinma in a statement on Sunday advised the petroleum marketers in the state to stop creating artificial fuel scarcity and stop selling fuel at night above the government approved pump price.

“I want to also use this opportunity to advise the petroleum marketers in the state, that my government will not sit back and allow them to create artificial scarcity and be selling fuel through black market in the night.

“Henceforth, any filling station selling black market, no matter the owner will be sealed up, and such company will be blacklisted from doing business anywhere in Nigeria.

“So, if you are one of them, or you know any of them, or you are part of them, advice those people, if you are closing your filling station for whatever reason you don’t want to sell, don’t sell at all.

“We will not allow you to charge innocent citizens three hundred naira a liter in the night by way of black market.”

He also said that a task force would be set up to seal and arrest defaulters 

“We are not going to allow it, by tomorrow morning, I will set up a task force that will go around and not only seal the station, arrest whoever that is there to come and stand their charge.

“Because this government is not complacent. Because we are kind and humorous, because we have the interest of the people at heart, people should not take undue advantage of that. We are not going to allow that.”