A Toyota Camry car today exploded at the Port Harcourt mega station of the NNPC, after fuel was dispensed into an extra in-built tank in the car.
The incident happened just outside the station and made the NNPC to suspend temporarily the sale of products at the station.
Although the fire did not affect the station, the corporation, in a statement by spokesman, Ndu Nghamadu, noted that it was imperative to suspend operations to enable security agencies clear the resultant traffic situation at the scene.
Meanwhile, the combined team of officials of the NNPC and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), led by the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru, have heightened the tempo of unscheduled visits to fuel stations in Abuja.
They have in the course of the visits raided stations suspected to be involved in underhand dealings.
The raid which was facilitated by the operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) led to the clampdown of a notorious fuel outlet in the Kubwa District of the FCT caught selling petrol at the rate of N250 per litre, a price well above the approved retail price of N145/litre.
READ: Buhari’s son survives fatal bike accident in Abuja
The NNPC GMD promptly ordered an on-the-spot dispensing of the remaining product in the storage tank free to motorists in conformity with extant sanction for such misdemeanour .
Addressing journalists after the exercise, Dr. Baru noted that in line with its mandate as supplier of last resort, the NNPC would continue to work with relevant stakeholders like the DPR and Civil Defence Corps to bring to a quick end the prevailing hardship in accessing petrol across the country.
The GMD enthused that with the recent directive by the Presidency for the security agencies to tighten the noose on smuggling of petroleum products, the issues of cross-border activities and diversion of products would be curtailed, thus allowing Nigerians to benefit from the massive injection of fuel into the system being undertaken by the corporation within the last few weeks.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")