*Says 10 petrol tankers torched in four states
Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, on Thursday, raised the alarm that over 10 petrol trucks belonging to its members, have been attacked by hoodlums across the country.
IPMAN has also warned of fuel scarcity in the country, disclosing that all petrol depots in the country have currently shut down their operations.
Chairman of IPMAN in Rivers State, Joseph Obele, although did not confirm those behind the attacks on petrol tankers, said the association has constituted a committee to investigate the issue.
Obele, however, assured that IPMAN will not go on strike over the issue, as the Association would not add to the pains of Nigerians at the moment, but lamented that marketers will run out of stock since depots have shutdown.
According to him, “Today, reports reaching us has it that over 10trucks belonging to our members have been set ablaze in four states, across the country.
“We have constituted a four-man committee to investigate the issue and report back to us.
“These trucks were fully loaded with about 60,000 litres of PMS, worth over N8million each, while the cost if these trucks are over N45million each and we are not happy with this development.
#ENDSARS: IPMAN says 10 petrol tankers torched in 4 states
“However, we have resolved in our emergency meeting this evening that we are not going on strike, we are not shutting down supply and distribution, because we understand the sensitive nature of the products which we control.
“For the past one week, supply and distribution of petrol has never been smooth, reason being that 90percent of our supply comes from Lagos and so it has been skeletal in the last one week, but today was worst all the depots in Nigeria have shut down today and you know we don’t produce these products, but we buy from depots and tankfarms.
“So if these depots are not selling to us, we fear that our members will run out of stock, which will lead to product scarcity in the next few days.”