The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has deployed its operatives to depots and filling stations in Cross River to ensure petrol is available to the public.

NSCDC commandant in Cross River, Samuel Fadeyi, disclosed on Thursday in Calabar.

Mr Fadeyi, who declared that there was no room for hoarding and hawking of petrol in the black markets, also appealed to the people not to buy fuel out of panic.

“I have sent my men out to depots and fuel stations to ensure that available stock was sold to the people; this creation of artificial scarcity is not allowed,” the NSCDC commandant stated. “Right from 2022, there was an announcement that subsidy removal will commence from June 2023. The federal government had said that by the end of June, there would be full deregulation of the product.”

He said he was sure President Bola Tinubu’s government “is working on palliatives to absorb the shock that subsidy removal will bring to a lot of people,” urging Nigerians to be “patient as the issues are resolved.”

Mr Fadeyi also said he had mandated NSCDC officers to arrest anyone selling fuel in the black market.

The commandant urged the public to report the activities of hawkers to the corps.

(NAN)