The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and oil marketers have been given a 48-hour deadline to make Premium Motor Spirit, better known as petrol, available to Nigerians.
The directive was given by DSS Spokesman Peter Afunanya while briefing journalists at the secret police headquarters in Abuja after a three-hour closed-door meeting with petroleum stakeholders.
He stated that if they do not comply, the DSS will launch its operations throughout the country.
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According to Afunanya, the challenge of fuel scarcity has assumed a dimension that is detrimental to the security of the country.
He said during the meeting, the NNPC agreed that there is enough product that will serve Nigerians during and after the Yuletide season.
For a while now, vehicle owners especially in Lagos and Abuja have had a tough time getting petrol from filling stations. Whilst many outlets are closed, the few ones that are open sell the indispensable commodity for as high as N250 per litre from the uniform price of N169/litre.
The scarcity of fuel has resulted in lengthy, arduous snake-like lines at the few open filling stations as motorists and business owners compete to buy it, while others resort to the illegal market.
The situation has also exacerbated traffic on key highways, with vehicle owners blocking at least one lane to join queues at gas stations.