People queuing for fuel at a petrol station
About 36 suspected black marketers have been arrested for allegedly hoarding and hawking Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.
The Commandant, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nasarawa State Command, Mr. Mohammad Gidado-Fari, while parading the suspects in Lafia on Thursday, said they were apprehended for flouting the laws guiding the sale of the petroleum product across the state.
He said, “The about 36 suspects were arrested for offences ranging from hoarding to unauthorised increase of the pump price of PMS popularly called petrol.”
The NSCDC boss expressed worry over the activities of the black marketers, noting that they had been sabotaging the efforts of the Federal Government to ameliorate the hardship faced by the citizens in getting petrol.
He stated that his men raided filling stations which were not dispensing fuel and arrested the suspects, who, he said, would be charged to court soon.
He added that his command had compelled all the filling stations in the state to sell petrol at N145 per litre, warning that the command would not take kindly to anybody caught dispensing above the official price.
Gidado-Fari appealed to the residents to report any fuel dealer found hoarding or selling PMS above the official price to the nearest NSCDC office in the state.
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