Petroleum dealers in Ondo and Ekiti states have raised the alarm over the evacuation of the product from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) depot in Ore.

This is even as fuel scarcity bites harder in the two southwestern states.

The dealers, who are members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigerian (IPMAN), said despite the acute shortfall of supplies in the two states, the available stock at the Ore depot was being evacuated and diverted to an unknown destination.

They spoke to Peoples Gazette in a chat on Sunday night.

One of the marketers, simply identified as Ayodele, who expressed his grievances, explained that they got letters from the NNPC backing the truck drivers to load the product from the Ore depot, despite the scarcity of the product in Ondo and Ekiti.

“The scarcity of PMS (petrol) has hit both Ondo and Ekiti, for the past two weeks now thereby resulting in a long queue in the cities. And the Ore depot ordinarily was meant to supply the two states.

“But we are surprised that they are bringing letters from NNPC headquarters to evacuate the product from there (Ore depot) to an unknown destination outside the two main states,” Mr Ayodele told The Gazette on phone.

Another dealer, who does not want his name mentioned, hinted about the shortage of the product in Ekiti which had led to long queues and many stations closing their gate.

He noted that the petrol marketers are dissatisfied as they are aware the product was being diverted to the northern part of the country, describing the action of the NNPC, as “totally unacceptable.”

He said, “For example, if they are loading 20,000 litres from the depot and taking 15,000 litres to Akure and Ekiti, we would see reasons for their action.

“But these people are coming in with their trucks with letters from the authority and loading the products outside the states and even diverting it while our people are here suffering to get the product.

“We would no longer accept this because the scarcity also affects Ondo and Ekiti people and we might likely maintain our stand by shutting down the gate of the depot if it persists.”

IPMAN Chairman, Ore Depot, Shina Amoo, when contacted, said he was already in talk with NNPC authority at resolving the issue and refused to comment further.

Petrol users in Ondo and Ekiti states are currently suffering from nonavailability of the product as long queues now resurfaced in most of the gas stations.

The few gas stations with the product are selling at N200 per while diesel sells for N1000 in both states.