By JOHN NWOKOCHA, Abuja

The Department of State Services (DSS) has threatened to commence action against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, NNPC and oil marketers if the current fuel scarcity lingers beyond today.

The DSS, on Thursday, issued a 48-hour ultimatum to all stakeholders in the oil sector within which to end the scarcity.

The security body said it will commence action if the ultimatum which expires tomorrow, Saturday, December 10, 2022 did not yield result and the situation remains the same.

Briefing news men in Abuja shortly after a meeting with oil Stakeholders by the leadership of the nation's secret police on the development, its spokesman, Dr Peter Afunnaya, said that the Service decided to wade into the development in national interest, adding the service would not fold Its arms to allow some individuals or group to destabilise the country.

He said that during the meeting, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited said that about 1.9bn litres of PMS was andwould last for the period of Christmas and beyond.

He further disclosed that after the expiration of the ultimatum, the DSS would commerce nationwide operation to ensure that the products are made available "no matter whose ox is gorged" as it would no longer be businesses as usual.

He said: “It is the mandate of the Service to detect and prevent threat to National Security, this is why the Service has to summon the stakeholders meeting in the oil and gas sector to find a lasting solution to the problem before it snowball to crisis

"The stakeholders at the meeting included: Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Depot operators and National Association of Transport Owners, NATO among others.

"There is an agreement that marketers will be operating for 24hrs on daily basis and that tankers owners said all hands will be on deck to ensure lifting of the products. "IPMAN has also committed itself to ensure that the product is available for 24hrs daily.

"The NNPC Ltd disclosed that it has over 1.9bn litres of PMS in stock and also agreed to sell the products at official ex-depot price to all oil marketers nationwide

"For we at the DSS, we agreed to provide adequate security for fuel distribution.

"Therefore, we insisted that the fuel distribution must improve and all challenges eliminated in 48hrs, and after 48hrs, we will as a matter of urgency carryout operations across the country. And in doing this, we won't mind whose ox is gored.

"We are sounding a note of warning that it won't be business as usual. We have set our commands and platform nationwide on high alert and they are to get information on any element who wants to obstruct these efforts

"We are also advising the members of the public not to capitalize on the fuel scarcity to take laws into their hands as the Service will deal ruthlessly with individual or groups trying to obstruct even distribution of the product".

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