No fewer than seven filling station workers were arrested in Osun State on Wednesday for allegedly hoarding petrol.
The suspects were apprehended by a team of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) operatives, which was of officers and men drawn from the Anti-Vandalism Unit.
NIGERIACRIME learnt that the team moved around filling stations in the Osogbo area of the state to monitor the sale of petrol.
Confirming this in a statement made available to newsmen in Osogbo, the spokesperson for the command, Kehinde Adeleke, explained that those arrested were workers in filling stations that had fuel but refused to dispense the product.
Adeleke said, “NSCDC, Osun State Command, has arrested seven people, who are filling station attendants, managers and supervisors at different locations in Osogbo, Osun State.
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“The arrests took place on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, while the Anti-Vandalism Unit of the command went around the state capital to monitor the sales of premium motor spirit.
“Visit to most of the filling stations in Osogbo revealed that they had fuel in their reservoir but refused to sell to members of the public, while queues were seen at their various filling stations. When asked why they refuse to sell fuel, most of them said they were waiting for approval from their headquarters.”
Adeleke said the state Commandant of the NSCDC, Sunday Agboola, assured that the corps would continue to clamp down on illegal activity aimed at frustrating the efforts of the government.
Meanwhile, public commercial minibuses operating in Osogbo have increased their charge by 50 per cent following the increment in the pump price.
In most of the filling stations visited within Osogbo metropolis, a litre of petrol was sold for N500.
Recall that fuel scarcity hit all parts of the country after President Bola Tinubu’s announcement of subsidy removal during the inaugural speech on May 29.