IPMAN Stops Loading Petrol Over Extortion

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has suspended the loading of products in Rivers State over extortion by persons it described as “miscreants” aided by security agencies at private depots.

The group said it has written letters to the police, the Nigerian Army, the Department of State Security (DSS) and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on the activities of miscreants who use security agents to disrupt loading of petroleum products in various private depots in the state.

The National Public Relations Officer of IPMAN, Mr Ukadike Chinedu, said the collection of illegal levies from petroleum tanker drivers by soldiers and other security officers has paralyzed loading activities in the private depots.

Mr Chinedu warned that the failure of the Nigerian Army, NSCDC and the police to withdraw the security officers at the depot will give rise to artificial petroleum products scarcity as the union will not hesitate to shut down filling stations from dispensing products.

He maintained that marketers will no longer load products until operatives of the army, NSCDC, and police vacate the depots.

“Our attention has been drawn to the report that some miscreants who, in their quest to the illegal collection of levies from petroleum tanker drivers at various private depots resorted to recruiting some soldiers and other security officers to give them cover to carry out their nefarious act of collecting levies illegally from the petroleum tanker drivers which have actually paralyzed loading activities in the private depots.

“Besides, it is reported that these soldiers threaten fire and brimstone to the tanker drivers for failure to pay whatever levies imposed by their hirers.

“We make bold to state that our Zonal Executive have not engaged the services of soldiers for collection of levies as we condemn in totality, the use of soldiers and other security agencies, in the circumstance, in occasioning harm on our members and members of the petroleum tanker drivers,” he stated.

On his part, IPMAN Chairman, Eastern Zone, Mr Bobby Eberechi Dick, charged the security agencies to urgently intervene in the matter by withdrawing their agents from the depots in order to avert petroleum products scarcity in Rivers State and its environs, especially considering that petroleum products loading has been stalled for days now.

“For the past three days, loading has stopped at the depots and our money is being tied down.

“We call on the governor of Rivers State to intervene on the matter. We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to call the Chief of Army Staff to withdraw these soldiers from the depot so as to avoid artificial scarcity of products.

“The miscreants are demanding that tanker drivers should pay N15,000 before loading. We have never used soldiers to collect levies from our members,” he stated.