C’River IPMAN Debunks Taking PPMC Boss To EFCC

The leadership of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Calabar depot has debunked claims that it took the Area Manager of Pipelines and Product Marketing Company) System 2 Zone, Mr. Nnadike Offordike, to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on allegations of diversion of petroleum products by the PPMC boss, saying there had been no such thing.

IPMAN executive in Calabar Depot made the clarification while reacting to a publication in a national daily (not The TIDE) to the effect that, some petroleum marketers had dragged some PPMC officials to EFCC.

Giving the clarification Mr. Justin Egbe, the body’s image maker opined that they were in a position to know if petroleum products meant for Calabar Depot were diverted elsewhere, saying, “We are not aware of any incident of diversion of petroleum products, meant for the Calabar Depot. The petition was written by disgruntled members of the IPMAN, who were plotting to discredit the PPMC leadership and cause confusion between the two bodies.”

He insisted that PMAN was not part of the petition purportedly written by anybody against the Area Manager of PPMC, Mr. Nadike Offordike and others.

“We are calling on EFCC and members of the pubic, to disregard the petition, as IPMAN is making arrangements to bring the writers to book for impersonation. Authors of the petition only impersonated the IPMAN leadership.”

Continuing, he said, “our Zonal Executive Council led by Barrister Utazi and Prince John Ubong has never written any petition against PPMC leadership, and we want to let the public know that we are loyal to our National President and his cabinet.”

The petition, made available to our Correspondent had alleged that “the PPMC Area Manager and two others, including the Calabar Deport Manager, Mr. M. E. Etuk, and the Sales Supervisor, Mr. Emmanuel Ehute did not supply petroleum products to the end users within the designated area, but diverted same to border areas from where they were smuggled out of the country.”

Continuing, he said, “NNPC has about 21 depots across the country and for now, a good number of them bridge their products from Calabar and Port Harcourt, Enugu has not had supplies for five years now, Aba has not had supplies for three years, Makurdi, about seven years and the problem is as a result of pipeline vandals. “

“Since the refineries have stopped supplies through the affected pipelines, some of the accused persons have resorted to taking their tickets to the functional depots to get their supplies and there have never been any incidence of diversion in Calabar Depot,” he stressed.