IPMAN, NUPENG suspend strike in Oyo, Osun over Police harassment

Members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) in Oyo and Osun states have suspended their strike over police harassment.

According to NAN, the suspension of the strike was announced in a statement signed on Monday by Mutiu Bukola, IPMAN chairman, and Hammed Hamzat, chairman of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of NUPENG. Other signatories included Surajudeen Adegoke, chairman of the Independent Marketers Branch (IMB) of NUPENG, and Olalekan Lawal, IPMAN’s vice-chairman.

On July 13, IPMAN and NUPENG halted operations due to “harassment and extortion of members by the police.”

The associations unanimously condemned the operations of the “Inspector General of Police (IGP) monitoring team” on the highway, which had been “disrupting the lifting of petroleum products” from depots to filling stations in the two states. They also demanded the immediate release of a driver and a truck that the associations said were illegally detained by the team.

IPMAN and NUPENG said their decision to suspend the strike was due to the interventions of various stakeholders, including their zonal leaders and the Osun Commissioner of Police, who facilitated the release of the detained driver and his truck.

“We had the intervention of stakeholders from PTD, IMB, and IPMAN from the western zone on the issues we raised, and 70 percent of our demands had been granted,” the associations said.

“Also, the Commissioner of Police in Osun has invited the unions for a roundtable meeting on July 15 to resolve other issues bordering on harassment and extortion.

“We are suspending the strike to allow for dialogue and resolution on the issues of victimisation, harassment, and extortion we raised concerning the IGP monitoring team.”

IPMAN and NUPENG said the strike was suspended to allow time for improving understanding and working conditions with the Nigerian Police Force, adding that the outcome of the meeting would be communicated to the press.

They also expressed gratitude to the industry stakeholders, including the zonal councils of PTD, IMB, and IPMAN, as well as their members from the three unions for their cooperation.

The associations reiterated their rejection of the IGP monitoring team on the highway, adding that the team should instead focus on its primary duties of curbing vandalism and the illegal bunkering of petroleum products.