increased to N2500 per litre in Akwa Ibom state on Tuesday, and customers were barely able to purchase it due to panic sales by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) in response to the ongoing conflict between the Joint Task Force (JTF) and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).

Since NUPENG has been preventing tankers from entering Akwa Ibom for the past several days, the situation has gotten worse for transport in the state, with a growing drop in the number of cars on the road and carriers boosting fares by over 200 percent.

The “Notice of Withdrawal of Services Over Confiscation of PMS – Loaded Trucks by JTF Personnel,” signed by the Chairman of the Coordinating Committee, Francis Udoyen, and the Secretary, Prince Ekom Idemudo, prompted the closure of the majority of filling stations operated by independent marketers under observation in Uyo and the surrounding area.

They said that it was essential to rally their members in support of NUPENG and demand the release of the trucks filled with PMS that the JTF’s Operation Delta Safe troops had taken from some of their members four months prior (ODS).

You are hereby directed to close your filling stations to the public starting on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, in accordance with our duty to support one another both during and outside of the season, equally drawing strength from the resolution made at the last emergency congress regarding members’ trucks that have been under the care of JTF agents for the past four months.

The IPMAN directive stated, “This action has the approval of our national office, and non-compliance will be visited with appropriate consequences.”

Sam Osung, a former assistant to Governor Umo Eno and the state chairman of the Natural Oil and Gas Association of Nigeria (NOGASA), accused the state administration of failing to use the heavy stick to rein in NUPENG and IPMAN’s alleged excesses.

“IPMAN officials demanded at a press conference that the trucks be released immediately. They then ceased operations at their filling stations and initiated a protest in Oron LGA.

The ODS determined that the owners ought to appear in court if they believe they are innocent. Since smuggling is known to be an act of economic sabotage, a marketer who is innocent should have appeared in court to establish his innocence.

“Without establishing their innocence, the marketers are attempting to coerce the Army into releasing their vehicles. Since last Monday, they have employed Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTDs) to block the entry of goods into Akwa Ibom.

After being notified, the Army wants to free the detained trucks and take them to their owners while obtaining the paperwork allowing them to prevent tankers from entering any state.

“The administration is aware of the excesses, but nobody is addressing this,” he continued. It is time for the government to take action. The government ought to function as such.

They’ve done it previously under the pretence that I’m their problem because I know the same things they do and even understand their constitutionally guaranteed rights. After they united, the governor dismissed me.

“That did not make the issue go away. I hope the government could handle the situation taking into account each person’s rights and advantages. Making me the scapegoat was the government’s main goal.

“The problem of NUPENG’s excesses was not addressed, and as a result, they have unlawfully blocked tankers from entering Akwa Ibom for approximately a week, and IPMAN has reinstated panic sales at a higher cost.”