The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Wednesday said it had intensified the arrest and prosecution of erring marketers and fuel hawkers across the country.
A statement by the NNPC Spokesman, Mr Ndu Ughamadu in Abuja, said the crackdown was part of efforts to eliminate the queues by sanitising the fuel supply and distribution system.
Ughamadu said the NNPC Special Task Force on monitoring of filling stations made some arrests, including managers of two filling stations who diverted 66,000 litres of petrol and six illegal hawkers of petrol in Abuja.
“The two managers are of Azman filling stations, one in Nyanya and the other in Kuje, two suburbs of Abuja.
“They were arrested after close monitoring by the team for diverting trucks of petrol meant for their stations to unknown destinations.
“They have been handed over to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps for prosecution.
“In addition to being prosecuted, the filling stations would pay a fine of N250 for each litre of petrol diverted,’’ Ughamadu said.
He said the Task Force had also arrested six persons in the Central Business District of Abuja, for hawking petrol in jerry-cans.
The statement said three of the suspects were prosecuted at the Area Court, Gudu, Abuja.
It said Justice Sidi Bello sentenced them to two months imprisonment or a fine of N2,000 each which they promptly paid.
“The other three, who were arrested yesterday (Tuesday), are expected to be charged today,” Ughamadu said.
