The Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, in Kwara State Makinde Iskil Ayinla has reiterated the corps readiness to deal with filling stations who have refused to sell their products thereby worsening the current situation regarding the scarcity of fuel in the State.
The Commandant stated this on Wednesday while briefing the newsmen on the activities and assessment of the corps in the last few days of the current scarcity of the premium motor spirit ( pms) and efforts of the corps to checkmate the sharp practices of the erring filing stations who are still selling above the recommended pump price or hoarding the products thereby causing artificial scarcity.
” In line with the directive of the Commandant General of the NSCDC Ahmed Abubakar Audi that we must make sure that the petroleum products must be made available to the people at recommended pump price and also that the corps should checkmate activities of the pipeline vandals, petroleum black marketers, those engaging in fuel adulteration and diversion among others, that is why we have been going around the 16 local governments in the State since last weekend in order to check activities of the erring filing stations and those buying the products inside kegs and go and sell it at exhorbitant prices to the hapless general public” the state commandant explained.
According to the spokesman of the NSCDC in the State Babawale Zaid Afolabi, the NSCDC task force led by the head of the anti vandal unit of the State command ACC Ayinde Yusuf discovered that some filling stations had the products and refuse to sell while some were selling the product as high as 250 naira per litre against the recommended 165 naira per litre.
” Those that have the products but choose to hoard it were ordered to start selling it and out team would make sure they emptied their fuel dump before they leave the place. Also some were caught selling above the normal price and were to revert to the recommended 165 naira”. Babawale disclosed.
He narrated further that owners and managers of the erring filing stations were made to sign undertakings that they would not engage in any sharp practices forthwith while some black marketers were arrested and the products they concealed inside kegs confiscated.
The NSCDC’s task force have visited more than 50 filling stations across Ilorin metropolis and had also taken on the spot assessment to neighbouring towns such as Offa, Alapa, Bode Saadu, Omu Aran among others.
