Earlier on Tuesday, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) stated that they would force fuel stations to open and sell the petroleum product after a 24-hour deadline for the Imo State Petroleum Marketers to begin selling the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) was passed.

Several NANS leaders, including the National President, Comrade Sunday Asefon, the NANS Senate President, Chuks Okafor, and the National Public Relations Officer, Victor Ezenagu, issued this caution to newsmen at the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Secretariat in Owerri.

Following extensive consultation with various organizations throughout the state, they stated that their decision to take action was based on the fact that the activities of petroleum marketers had enhanced the suffering of the people living in the state.

NANS said, “We shall take our destiny in our hands and make life easy for our students and Imo state people. Hence, any fuel station that fails to dispense the Federal Government subsidize Petroleum products allocated to Imo State by DPR within the next 24hours shall have to declare such products found in such stations.

“We observed that these people only open at night and sell at an exorbitant price of N500 to N700 per liter at night which is an indication that the Petroleum dealers are just out to exploit the people.

“This wickedness exhibited by IPMAN members has given rise to astronomical hike in the prices of the Petroleum products in Imo State thereby making life more difficult to already improvised Imo people.”

“In our thinking, IPMAN is acting as a mere cartel, illegally selling the Federal Government subsidized at exorbitant prices, thus depriving Imo state people of enjoying subsidized products which they are entitled to unconditionally and hoarding same to sell illegally at hiked prices. This is not only criminal but also economic sabotage which must be resisted.”