The Manager of the Oando Filling Station on the Otedola Bridge end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Mr. Rasak Fakayode, and the Director of the station, Mr. David Adegbite, have accused the police of blackmail.
Fakayode said the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the Isheri division, identified as Ogundele, framed up the station.
He accused the police of breaking into some offices in the filling station and damaging property.
It was reported that the police had swooped on the petrol station and arrested the manager and another worker for allegedly hoarding fuel.
The police had claimed that the station had fuel stored in its tanks, and was selling at N180 instead of the approved pump price of N86.50k.
But the station manager, who said the police framed-up the station, added there was no truth in the allegations.
He said, “A few hours before they came, we had stopped selling fuel. In our station, we have five tanks for petrol. We had finished selling and we had 3,000 litres left which was for the maintenance of our cars and other emergency services pending when we would get another supply.
“One of our workers came in to take fuel from there and the Rapid Response Squad cops came in and challenged him. He told them he was a senior manager in the company and he was going to Aba, Abia State, and needed the fuel.
“The RRS men said we should sell and we told them that we didn’t have anything to sell. I opened all our tanks to them to show we had nothing.”
He said the RRS invited the Isheri DPO, who then arrested him and took him to the police station.
Fakayode said a few minutes afterwards, he was returned to the filling station, adding that the police broke into offices looking for fuel.
He said, “They accused us of storing fuel. They burgled our offices. By the time they returned, all our workers had run away. The police said I had fuel in my office and I should show them. The DPO said I should be handcuffed.
“All those who wanted to buy fuel had run away, so the police packed all their jerrycans and put them before me. The DPO started asking people to take my pictures and post them on the Internet. They lied that we were selling at N180, but we have never sold above N86.50k.
“The DPO said I should produce my director because other filling stations had come to ‘see’ him, but my director had not seen him.”
The Director of the station, David Adegbite, who said his company got its operating licence from Oando, expressed surprise at the incident.
He said, “The DPO said he came to visit me and my security details did not allow him to see me. He said he saw that day as an opportunity to revenge. He came with the DSS, DPR and others. But those ones left after they saw our tanks were empty.
“However, he arranged empty jerrycans in front of the manager and his assistant to implicate us. He handcuffed our workers like armed robbers and asked people to take their pictures and post them on the social media, which is not fair. He damaged our offices; broke the windows and the doors.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, asked the management of the filling station to formally write to the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, saying the police would not condone any act of corruption.
She said, “The leadership of the command and the force in general does not tolerate corruption. If the management of the filling station has any complaint against the DPO, let them write a petition to the commissioner of police and the command will investigate.”
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