The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, has arrested Mr. Kasim Lamido, the manager of Lamido Petroleum, a filling station in New Nyanya, Nasarawa State, for diverting 26,000 litres of petrol.
A statement signed by Mr Ndu Ughamadu, NNPC spokesman on Monday in Abuja noted the arrest validated NNPC claim on petrol diversion by some marketers.
It said that the manger diverted the 26,000 litres of petrol from New Nyanya to another location in Akwanga, Nasarawa State to sell at a higher price.
According to an official of the NSCDC, Yusuf Ayinde, Chief Superintendent of the Corps, in the statement, Lamido, took delivery of 40,000 litres of petrol meant for his station but discharged only 13, 3000 litres, from one out of the three compartments in the truck.
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He noted that the manger diverted the remaining 26,000 litres to a station in Akwanga where it would be sold above the N145 per litre official price.
He said that the suspect would be charged to court by the Civil Defence Corps after ongoing investigation.
“The latest arrest validates NNPC’s position that the activities of a potent petroleum products smuggling and diversion syndicate contributed immensely to the shortage being experienced in some cities.
“This posed a challenge to the efforts by the Corporation to sanitise the fuel supply and distribution chain across the country,” he said
The corporation in the statement further urged motorists not to engage in panic buying as it was working in collaboration with major stakeholders to eliminate the distribution hiccups that had led to the emergence of fuel queues in some parts of the country.
Motorists are advised to report any marketer selling above N145 per litre of petrol or hoarding products to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) which is statutorily empowered to deal with such issues.
![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")