IPMAN shuts down filling stations in Adamawa

Today, computers and schoolchildren in Adamawa State faced significant challenges as they travelled long distances to offices and schools following the shutdown of all filling stations throughout the state by the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN).

This action by the oil marketers comes just 48 hours after the group raised alarm over the Nigeria Customs Service’s alleged intimidation of their members and illegal seizure of their tankers and petroleum products in the state.

With very few Keke riders having fuel available, fares increased by 200%, making it exceedingly difficult for workers and students to afford transportation.

Mr. Abu Galadima, a civil servant who expressed dismay over IPMAN’s actions, stated, “It is true that the Nigeria Customs Service has been impounding petroleum products being smuggled out of the country.

“Instead of shutting down filling stations, these marketers should discourage their members from illegally diverting products, adding to the many challenges we are facing.”

A keke rider interviewed by the Nigeria Tribune reported, “This morning, I bought a gallon of petrol (PMS) for ₦8,000, up from ₦4,000.”

Earlier, the Adamawa State chapter of IPMAN had accused the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) of neglecting their designated duties and engaging in unlawful operations against their members.

During a protest press conference in Yola on Monday, IPMAN leadership claimed that illegal customs operations were the main cause of petroleum scarcity across Adamawa and Taraba States.

The association lamented that customs officers, instead of operating in border areas to control cross-border activities, were harassing their members in urban and rural areas.

“Our members, engaged in legitimate businesses of supplying and distributing petroleum products, face confiscations of tanker trucks and closure of filling stations by customs officers,” the association’s statement read.

According to Comrade Abdulmaliki Bello, Secretary of IPMAN in Adamawa State, “Despite being law-abiding citizens distributing petroleum products across Adamawa State and Nigeria, the NCS’s Operation Whirl Wind, through its Anti-Smuggling Unit, has been acting unlawfully for over a month.”

The association emphasised that such operations by the NCS were causing significant financial losses for petroleum marketers, leading to price hikes and scarcity of products, thereby destabilising the state’s economy.

“In light of these issues, we call on the Nigerian Customs Service to adhere to lawful practices to prevent further escalation, which could provoke industrial actions by all stakeholders in the petroleum product supply chain, including IPMAN, NARTO, and all branches of NUPENG: PTD, IMB, PSW, and others involved,” the statement concluded.

As of now, most roads are experiencing minimal vehicular movement, with no filling stations open for sales today.

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