Chairman of Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Hon. (Barr.) Zacchaeus Dare Michael, in collaboration with operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has shut down a NIPCO filling station in Kabba over alleged supply of petrol to bandits operating in the forest areas.

The closure followed what the local government described as routine monthly intelligence monitoring, stating that a truck reportedly fitted with a large storage tank was impounded.

The Chairman, in a statement, said investigations revealed that the truck had repeatedly purchased unusually large volumes of fuel before heading towards suspected criminal hideouts in the Kiri Forest area of Kabba/Bunu Local Government and along routes leading to Niger State.

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“The Executive Chairman, Hon. (Barr.) Zacchaeus Dare Michael, ordered the immediate closure of the station for violating an existing ban on the sale of fuel in jerrycans, drums and oversized tanks, a measure introduced to cut off logistics support to criminal groups,” the statement said.

“Anyone aiding criminals by supplying fuel will be treated as an enemy of the people. We will not relent until our communities are safe,” the Chairman added.

According to the council, the suspects, the truck and the seized fuel were in custody, with investigations ongoing.

The local government reaffirmed its stance of “no safe haven and no fuel lifeline for criminals”, warning that all those found culpable would face the full weight of the law.

However, the chairman of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Kogi West chapter, Elder Mike Segun Toluhi, dismissed the allegation against the NIPCO Filling Station, Kabba, describing it as false.

He said the station’s management had over the years been honest, diligent and prudent in its business dealings with the public.

“In the last 48 hours, the attention of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Kogi West zone, was drawn to a report from the Kabba/Bunu Local Government Authority labelling NIPCO Filling Station, Kabba as aiding and abetting a criminal fuel supply network,” he said.

“At no point has NIPCO Filling Station, Kabba, either by omission or commission, aided criminal elements through the supply of fuel or any other logistics that could be inimical to the safety of the people around their business environment.

“The allegation of aiding and abetting criminal elements or sustaining criminal activities is malicious, falsely fabricated and doesn’t hold an atom of truth in its entirety,” he added.

IPMAN further stated that the filling station had no personal relationship with the owners or users of the impounded truck beyond routine commercial transactions involving the sale of petroleum products.

Efforts to get the reaction of the Kogi State Police Command were unsuccessful, as its spokesperson, CSP William Aya, did not respond to calls or text messages as at the time of filing this report.