Gideon Arinze in Enugu
The leadership of the Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has asked its members in Enugu, Ebonyi and Anambra states to withdraw their services after an alleged and unwarranted invasion of the union’s Enugu Secretariat by the police in the early hours of Thursday.
President of IPMAN, Alhaji Sanusi Fari, in a statement made available to journalists, said the National Executive Council of IPMAN gave the directive to its members following the Nigeria Police Force invasion of its Secretariat in Enugu Depot against court orders/judgements.
“Sequel to this ugly development, the NEC of IPMAN resolved and directed the withdrawal of our services at Enugu loading depot immediately, and stoppage of servicing the public in Enugu, Anambra and Ebonyi from today, (yesterday) Friday, 17th September until the police illegality is reversed,” the group stated.
When THISDAY visited some fuel stations within the Enugu metropolis, it was discovered that they were under lock and key even as many transporters packed their vehicles hoping to be attended to.
The situation has since increased transport fares within the state as commuters are having to pay double the price to get to their destinations.
Prior to the shutting down of their services in Enugu State, the price for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) increased as one litre which was formerly sold for N162 was sold between N250 and N300 in most stations.
Reacting to this development, the Chairman of Enugu State chapter of IPMAN, Chinedu Anyaso, condemned the action of the police, noting that rather than protect the lives and property of the people, the police were in the habit of bullying and intimidating citizens of the country.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Enugu State Command, ASP Daniel Ndukwe, said that the attack was not carried out by operatives of the command.
He said: “There was no such invasion of the IPMAN secretariat by police operatives of the command. Instead, we had detectives from Force CID, Abuja, who came on an investigation trip to serve their officials an invitation over a court matter.”
