Executive Secretary, Ojodu Local Council Development Area, Mallam Ahmed Moyosore Jaji, has expressed his displeasure over the way and manner 47 kegs of petrol allegedly seized from a food vendor, who illegally converted his shop opposite Sunday Retail Market, Ogba to a mini depot for bunkering and illicit marketing of petroleum products, is being handled.
Jaji, who spoke in an interview with our correspondent, said since the schedules of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps revolve around monitoring petroleum products and vandalisation of pipelines, he handed over the culprit to NSCDC officers attached to the LCDA, when the information got to him that such a heinous act was being perpetrated in the neighbourhood.
It would be recalled that sometime around July 2015, one Nwevo, who claimed to be a food vendor, was arrested with 47 litres of 50kg petrol around Sunday Retail Market, Ogba. Nwevo upon interrogation admitted that he had been engaging in the illicit business for a while.
According to the suspect, he engaged in the trade due to his dwindling business at that time, adding that he has six shops in the area, but unfortunately, those working with him went away with all his fortune and business money, which now made things difficult for him. And to make ends meet, one of his friends introduced him to the business.
Meanwhile, since the arrest of the culprit and eventual handover to the NSCDC, the council boss said nothing has been heard from neither of them, adding that what he could only recollect was that he was receiving some funny telephone calls threatening him to either reopen the shop of the culprit or regret his action.
However, Jaji now wants a clarification on the efforts of the NSCDC to prosecute the culprit since the culprit now walks around freely and is even threatening him to reopen his shop. The discovery and subsequent arrest of the suspect, according to the Executive Secretary, had saved residents from being plunged into serious fire incident that might have ravaged the whole Retail Market and environs as well as possible loss of properties worth millions of Naira.
In an SOS message to the authorities of the NSDC, Jaji is requesting that the release and subsequent threats by the suspect be investigated so that the man could answer for the alleged crimes committed.