By Folarin Emmanuel, Abuja
Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Niger State Command has arrested eight trucks laden with a total of 469,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) in Mokwa, Niger State, on their way to Babana, a border town between Nigeria and Republic of Benin.
The drivers of the trucks are currently in custody at the Minna Command of the NSCDC who is expected to be charged to court for prosecution.
According to the Yakubu Ayuba, Niger State Commandant of NSCDC, who briefed the press in Minna on Wednesday, said six of the trucks belong to one marketer.
Ayuba disclosed that two of the trucks contained 66,000 litres, twice the quantity contained in a normal truck.
Also speaking at the briefing, Abdillahi Isa, Comptroller of Operations, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), said only one truck out of the eight had a genuine waybill to a recognized station in Babana.
He said the owners of the other trucks would have to explain their mission and destinations, stressing that if it was established that they were involved in products diversion, they would pay a fine of N200 per litre to the government.
This arrest confirms NNPC’s position that products hoarding and diversion were responsible for the fuel supply shortages witnessed recently in some parts of the country.
