OWNERS of petrol stations in Otukpo,
Benue State, on Tuesday, shut down their facilities and refused to sell
to the public thereby causing artificial fuel scarcity in the area.
This was as a result of a brawl between
some men and officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps
and fuel pump attendants in the town.
The petrol stations’ owners alleged that the NSCDC personnel were interfering with their trade by demanding for bribe.
They added that any time the agency’s
men solicited for gratification from the pump attendants or managers and
they (workers) were turned down, the officers would begin to molest the
workers.
A fuel station owner in Otukpo, Mr.
Achi Shaibu, who spoke with our correspondent, said about 12 officers
and men of the NSCDC came to his fuel station, demanding to see the
manager.
He explained that having seen him, the
officers directed him to close down the station for his refusal to come
to their office to pay N10,000.
He alleged that the armed officers were
moving from one fuel station to the other collecting N10, 000, adding
that one of them engaged in a fight with a pump attendant in his fuel
station and injured him.
He said, ‘’The NSCDC officers started
chasing out drivers in the queue and other vehicles including
motorcycles from the station. When the workers tried to question their
action, the officers beat them up and dragged them to their office. This
is how NSCDC personnel always harass owners of petrol stations and beat
up their staff in this area just because of bribe’’.
Another fuel station owner who spoke on
condition of anonymity alleged that the NSCDC usually compelled petrol
dealers in Otukpo to pay between N10,000 and N15,000 daily once they
discovered that such station was selling petroleum products to the
public.
He added that those who refused to comply with the directive either had their station shutdown or get arrested.
He said, ‘’My worker was arrested and taken to their office and beaten up. When I came to bail him, I was asked to pay N100,000.
“It was as a result of this that we
decided to shutdown our stations and came to see the area commander to
ask why they are treating us this way?’’
When our correspondent contacted the
NSCDC Benue State Command Public Relations Officer, Isaiah Manyam, he
said he could not comment on the matter then but he promised to call
back.
Manyam, as of the time of filling this
report, did not return our correspondent’s call neither did he respond
to other calls and text messages to his telephone line.
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