By Peter Ayoade
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has directed all filling stations in Ibarapa area of Oyo State not to open until the Oyo State Government address the spate of kidnappings and killings in the area in protest against the gruesome murder of Mrs. Sherifat Adisa, the CEO of Subawah filling station by unknown gunmen.
The chairman, Ibadan Depot, Alhaji Bukola Mutiu, in a statement issued on Sunday, said the closure of all filling stations in Ibarapa was a warning to the Oyo State Government to urgently arrest the growing trend of killings and kidnap of petroleum dealers in the state.
Describing the killing of Adisa as one too many, IPMAN warned that except the situation is urgently addressed, all filling stations in the state would be shut down.
“This killing and kidnapping has become so rampant as series of cases have been coming up recently.
“Last night (Saturday), one of us, Alhaja Sherifat Adisa, who was the owner of Subawah petroleum, was kidnapped at about 7:30 p.m. from her office and two people were also killed in her station. Her corpse was found at about 11:00 p.m. close to her station.
“However, the IPMAN has decided to close down all petrol stations in Ibarapa till something is done by the government to protect them and if something is not done, the shutdown of all petrol stations will be extended to Oyo State as a whole,” Mutiu said.
The Ibadan depot of the association has also threatened to shutdown all filling stations in the state over the incessant attack on its members.
