Imminent fuel scarcity looms in Kwara, Kogi, Ekiti and some other states as members of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) plan to withdraw their services from tomorrow over release of pipelines vandals.

Kwara State Chair of IPMAN, Ilorin Unit, Alhaji Agbolade Bolaji told reporters yesterday in Ilorin, the state capital, "we just want to tell the general public that maybe from Monday, we will likely withdraw our services from those at Ilorin depot from selling fuel to any filling station."

He explained why the union might embark on industrial action: "This is because police, state security service (SSS), civil defence corps and others are not treating the cases of people who were arrested on our land as they are supposed to be.

"Pipeline vandalism is an economic sabotage. When they are arrested after few days, they are being released. We are also being threatened. So we decided that we cannot take this anymore.

He went on, "About two years ago they arrested about five people and they were sentenced at the federal high Court to jail for five years up till now nothing has been done.

"The vandals also came back and threatened our people. We at IPMAN are the ones maintaining the lines from Ibadan to Ilorin. We spent about N5m every month. We have spent bout N70m on this land in one year.

"When we always assist government to arrest vandals and they are being released. On January 15, we arrested four of them again. They have also released them now. The SSS, Civil Defense and Police went to the spot where they vandalized the pipelines. We cannot continue like this.

He threatened the union will strike in protest against the action.

"We will withdraw our services from Monday until government or the concerned security agencies re-arrest those people.

"There is one man that went to court to testify against them he is one of our members. He has run away for his life now. I do not even know where he is now. They threatened to kill him. He had to run away.

"We do not know what will happen to us who are even talking to you. We are appealing to the state government to assist IPMAN to ensure effective policing of pipelines."