The lingering acute shortage of fuel in circulation in Ilorin and its suburbs has taken a ugly dimension as unavailability of the commodity hit the city.

A handful of stations, especially those owned by private marketers that had the product, dispensed at exorbitant prices to frustrated motorists and other users. Few major marketing stations that sold the commodity also known as premium motor spirit to desperate buyers witnessed huge crowd of cars and other mobilities.

An independent investigation conducted by The Herald in Ilorin yesterday showed that except major marketers such as Total, Bovas and Oando that sold at the official price of N86.50k per litre, others dispensed between N190 and N200 per litre amidst tumultuous crowd of cars. Some filling stations around Oko-Olowo on the outskirts of Ilorin dispensed at N200 per litre.

The Herald correspondent observed that fuel buyers threatened to set the stations ablaze when some attendants attempted to increase the pump price. The crisis manifested in the commercial activities in the ancient city of Ilorin.

Many commercial vehicle owners withdrew operations following their fruitless effort to get the commodity. Findings also revealed that commercial transporters had jerked up their fare per drop, thereby forcing prospective passengers to trek long distances to their destinations.

The unavailability of petrol took toll on businesses with cost and prices of goods in the market getting skyrocketed. The insistence of fuel marketers under the banner of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria in Kwara State to sell fuel above the official price of N86.50k per litre drew the ire of the state office of the Department of Petroleum Resources, after which it sealed some errant stations.

Some of the stations were however unsealed by a factional leadership of IPMAN led by Olanrewaju Okanlawon, accusing the department of toughness and high-handedness. The aggrieved marketers claimed it was impossible for them to sell a litre of fuel at N86.50k as amount they got it at private depots was outrageous.

The DPR consequently withdrew its operation in the state following threat to life of its staff. It had since reported to the security agencies. When contacted on telephone, the state operation controller of DPR, Mr Salvation Philip, told our correspondent that he was not in town, but added that fuel situation had become a national phenomenon.

Meanwhile, fuel hawkers had flooded major streets of Ilorin, selling at humongous prices. Areas like Maraba, Railway Station, Sango, Ita-Amodu and Oloje among others were bombarded by fuel hawkers. Some of them displayed jerricans by the roadsides to draw the attention of potential buyers.

A buyer at a black marketer spot around Maraba told The Herald yesterday a four litre gallon went for N1500. In a related development, three shops were gutted by fire yesterday afternoon on Mubo Street in Ilorin. One of the shops belonged to a suspected fuel black marketer, who stocked about eight gallons of petrol in the shop.

It was learnt that the incident, which occurred around 1:59pm, was caused by the remnant of a cigarette allegedly dropped by an unidentified man, who reportedly finished smoking. The Herald gathered that it took the intervention of fire fighters to put out the inferno around 3pm.

The Herald correspondent recalls that Mubo, an extension of Maraba, is known to be a notorious spot for fuel hawkers, who make brisk business whenever fuel crisis surfaces in the state.