A litre of fuel, yesterday, sold between N300 and N400 in Imo State, due to the shutdown of filling stations in the state.

The ugly development, which caused confusion among motorists in the morning hours, was said to be as a result of an encounter between a tanker driver and a member of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, who allegedly shot the tanker driver, along Elele road, Port Harcourt, Wednesday night.

Irked by the outcome of the scene, the tanker drivers were said to have directed their members to suspend operations until the security operative involved was produced, before they can resume operations.

Meanwhile, filling stations in Imo State have joined as a way of expressing their disapproval. According to a manager of a filling station along Okigwe road in Imo State, some who have defied the order from above have sold the product at an exorbitant prize. Vanguard which monitored the development in major streets of Douglas, Egbu, Okigwe, Onitsha, Port-Harcourt road and discovered that not all the filling stations were closed at the time of filing this report. According to him, some who opened for business did not sell at the pump prize of N145 per litre.

A bus driver, Kyrian Onyema, said: “I came out this morning and saw there was no fuel and when I saw fuel to buy, they were selling at N300 and N400 instead of 145 naira. This is too much for me.”

The situation also affected transport fares, especially within Owerri metropolis, where citizens had to pay twice of what they used to pay. Some who came all the way from the rural areas were stranded, describing it as unexpected and said it negatively affected their budget for the day.

•Sourced from Vanguard.