Folarin Kehinde

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, says the current scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popularly called petrol may last for two more weeks.

The Public Relations Officer of IPMAN, Chinedu Ukadike stated this on Sunday while reacting to the lingering scarcity of the product as it spreads to many states.

Ukadike told Vanguard on Sunday that the product is currently not available in the country, saying it is a challenge sourcing it because most refineries in Europe are undergoing turnaround maintenance.

“Once there is a breach in the international supply chain, it will have an impact on domestic supply because we depend on imports.

“I also have it on good authority that most of the refineries in Europe are undergoing turnaround maintenance, so sourcing petroleum products has become a bit difficult.

NNPC Group CEO has assured us that there will be improvement in the supply chain because their vessels are arriving.

“Once that is done, normalcy will return. This is because once the 30-day supply sufficiency is disrupted, it takes two to three months to restore it”, he said.

Ukadike also blamed the acute scarcity of the product on importation bottlenecks and the pace at which the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, renews marketers’ licence.

Alaba Excel Abbey, one of the campaign coordinators of incumbent Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo state, has been assassinated.

Mr Abbey, who served as a ward coordinator for the Lucky Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organization Foot-Soldiers (LACO-SF), was killed at his home in Supare Akoko, Akoko South West Local Government Area.

Leading reporters learnt that the deceased was the returning officer for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ward 10 in the recently concluded primary of the governing party.

A younger brother to the deceased, Mr Samuel Abbey, who confirmed the sad development, revealed that the politician was shot at the front of his house.

Meanwhile, the Lucky Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organization Foot-Soldiers (LACO-SF) has condemned the gruesome murder of Mr Abbey.

The group also called on the security agencies, most especially the police authorities to protect its members from such brutal attacks by assailants.

In a statement by the spokesperson for the campaign organisation, Kayode Fasua, said the late Abbey was actively involved in the campaign activities of Aiyedatiwa until his death.

The Director-General of LACO-FS in Akoko Southwest Local Government, David Ajobiewe, described the killing of Abbey as a big tragedy.

“Excel had been a resourceful coordinator for the Aiyedatiwa campaign organisation in Ward 10 of Supare and was never known to be violent and never had any history of a local or domestic dispute.

“We urge the police authorities to step up investigations into his gruesome murder and bring the perpetrators of the dastardly act to book,” he said.

Confirming the incident in a telephone chat, Police Public Relations (PPRO), Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya said the state command had launched an investigation into the brutal killings.

“The state command is aware of the incident (killing) but investigation is ongoing to unravel all that happened,” she said.

Military commander of an army camp located at Sabon Garin Dan’Ali, in Danmusa local government area of Katsina state has reportedly been killed in an ambush.

Sources said the incident happened Thursday evening and the corpse of the deceased, a major in the army, was deposited at a hospital in Katsina.

According to report, the commander, (name withheld), was ambushed at Malali village in Kankara local government area, where he was called to provide reinforcement to repel an attack on the village.

“As you know, Malali is along Zangon Pawwa road, and that area is completely taken over by bandits. Whenever there is an attack the security agents usually ask for reinforcement from the Maraban Dan’Ali camp, and this new commander would promptly respond.

“This time around, they asked for his reinforcement and he came using a Hilux vehicle, instead of the Amoured Personnel Carrier (APC), perhaps the APCs were not available at the time. Unfortunately his assailants waylaid his vehicle and shot him in the head.”

A resident, who pleaded anonymity, told our reporter that while retrieving his corpse from the scene of the incident, there was serious gun duel between the bandits and the military personnel during which the officer who picked the body also sustained gunshot injury.

According to the source, “when the residents of the village alerted the security agents of the impending attack, the security personnel went and shot severally in the air without any response from the bandits, and by then the commander was on his way.

“When the security operatives fired some shots at the direction suspected to have the bandits, they left, thinking that no one was there, but by the time the commander arrived, they targeted him and shot him.”

Kankara local government has come under serious attacks in recent times, with villages deserting communities there due to incessant banditry.

Public Relations Officer of the 17 Brigade in Katsina, Oiza Ehinlaidlye, neither answered calls nor responded to a message sent via WhatsApp at the time of filing this report.

The Nigerian military has closed its camp and withdrawn troops in Allawa community in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

Allawa community is one of the communities facing severe attacks by bandits and terrorists in Shiroro LGA of the state.

The withdrawal of troops, which residents said came to them as a surprise due to renewed attacks in the community and its neighbouring communities, had caused hundreds of locals including women, the elderly and children to vacate their houses, trekking at least 50 kilometres to safe places.

Residents told Daily Trust that they woke up on Thursday seeing the soldiers removing their tents in preparation to leave the community.

One of the locals, who preferred anonymity, told our correspondent that the withdrawal came two days after the military vehicle stepped on a landmine along Allawa-Pandogari road, leading to an unspecified number of casualties.

“I don’t know if you were aware that on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 the military personel on their way to Allawa stepped on IED and casuallities including death were recorded. Some of them are in the hospital. The incident happened on Allawa-pandogari road Tuesday,” he said.

The Tuesday incident came less than a week after six soldiers and a vigilante lost their lives in an ambush at Roro when bandits launched multiple attacks on Roro, Karaga, Rumace and other farming communities.

Another resident, Mallam Yahuza Allawa, told our correspondent that dozens of residents had vacated their communities as early as 4am on foot and were heading towards Erena, Gwada, Kuta or Zumba for safety.

“This is a serious issue. Please help us report this issue. We are leaving our communities now and there are insufficient motorcycles and vehicles to take us out as quick as possible. We are afraid. May be if you report it, government will bring vehicles to evacuate us to safe places. Our belongings are there, we can’t pack them.

“Wallah, hundreds of us have left our communities already. We cannot take Pandogari road because it is not safe. So, we are moving to either Erena, Gwada, Kuta or Zumba. And from Allawa to Erena which is the only exit road for us is at least 42km and we are trekking because there are no vehicles to convey us. We have old people among us. Many people left their homes as early as 4am before early morning prayers. We cannot wait to be killed by these heartless bandits and Boko Haram,” he said.