From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
For allegedly hoarding fuel and or selling above the official pump price, 16 staff of different filling stations have been arrested in Asaba, Delta State, by a combined monitoring team of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).
Mr PE Okwechime, who led the team, said all those arrested would be prosecuted for subjecting residents and motorists to undue hardship.
In a branch of one of the filling stations monitored, Rainoil, the team discovered over 12,000 litres of fuel in its storage tank, while the station’s gates were shut against long queues of motorists and other consumers waiting to get the product.
In another station, Dwell, the attendants were dispensing fuel for N220.00 per litre instead of N165.00.
This is besides the extortion of extra N100.00 from those buying in jerricans by pump attendants ostensibly in accord with management.
As a result, the security staff of the station was arrested as the Manager was nowhere to be found.
‘When we came, we asked for the manager, he was kept away. Then we came to one of the attendants operating one of the fuel pumps to take us to the manager, on getting to the door to the office, she entered and locked the door against us, preventing us to go in,’ Okwechime said.
‘It was then we decided to arrest any staff in sight and the security man was picked. When the Director or Manager comes for him at our office, he will be made to replace the security man.’
Meanwhile, residents have continued to berate Rainoil for allegedly hoarding the product, describing the action as an act of insensitivity to the plights of Nigerians.
Okoye Ben, who operates a business centre said it’s wickedness for an oil company to hoard fuel when Nigerians are suffering, and gross wickedness to deny people fuel in jerricans.
‘How does one bring a generator to the filling station to buy fuel?, he asked in frustration.