IPMAN faction threatens to halt fuel supply over ‘police harassment’

The Chinedu Okoronkwo-led Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria has threatened to shut down fuel stations across the country.

IPMAN spokesperson, Yakubu Suleiman, who stated this when he spoke with reporters on Sunday in Jos, Plateau State capital, said the association had directed its members to shut down operations over alleged harassment by the police.

He noted that the some police officers had invaded the association’s national secretariat on Friday over leadership issues among members.

“Whereas there is a subsisting Supreme Court judgement of December 2018 that has since disposed of a suit No. SC15/2015, and ordered that Mr Chinedu Okoronkwo is our president and Alhaji Danladi Garba Pasali, as national secretary,” he said.

He also said, “The continued violation of this judgement, even by the police, is causing more harm to the downstream sector of the petroleum industry, which, if such is not halted, will lead to impunity and anarchy.

“It is true that members of IPMAN in many states across sections of Nigeria have met and others are meeting and communicating to us that they will shut down, from Tuesday. The implications would be there will be a shortage or fuel scarcity in the country.

“We are calling on all arms of government including the security agencies to take the necessary action, towards halting impunity in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry.”

Suleiman said the shutdown would be enforced if the inspector-general of police failed to address the invasion, which he described as illegal.