Calabar, Nigeria – The Cross River State Chapter of the Association of Distributors and Transporters of Petroleum Products (ADITOP) has dismissed claims by the Chief Robert Obi-led faction of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) that Zone 6 Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Jonathan Towuru, opposes ADITOP’s operations in the state.
Describing the allegations as baseless, the State Chairman of ADITOP, Apostle Ekpenyong Ayi, stated that AIG Towuru neither issued such a directive nor instructed ADITOP to stay away from depots in the state.
Ayi emphasised that IPMAN lacks the authority to obstruct ADITOP’s operations, labelling their actions as futile. “It is shameful that, in their quest to achieve their lustful desires, Obi and his co-travellers stooped so low as to peddle unfounded lies,” he said.
He further noted that involving a senior security official such as the AIG in their claims was an attempt to mislead the public. “The AIG Zone 6 is furious and has distanced himself from the report, which exposes the scam and ill intentions of Obi and his cohorts,” Ayi added.
Addressing claims that some individuals named in IPMAN’s letter denied ADITOP, Ayi reiterated that ADITOP is a registered union with legal rights to operate. He described the association as a united body of petroleum tanker owners and entrepreneurs committed to professionalism and industry standards.
Ayi warned IPMAN to refrain from spreading falsehoods and dragging ADITOP’s name into disputes, stressing that the association remains focused on supporting the government’s efforts in the downstream oil and gas sector.
Earlier, the Obi-led IPMAN allegedly stated that the AIG affirmed its petition to arrest and prosecute any person or group of persons operating as ADITOP, urging them to stay clear from the depots in Calabar areas, for now pending the results of their investigations.
