A MAJOR crackdown on fuel marketers is on the way, The Nation learnt last night.
Security agents are worried over what a source said they see as a covert attempt to fuel the workers’ strike due to begin on Monday.
Under security watch are some marketers and labour leaders, who are believed to be planning to cause chaos nationwide.
Six marketers, who are said to be under probe for alleged covert financial support for some trade union leaders for the impending strike, may be arrested for interrogation, sources said.
Commercial banks have been under surveillance by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following reports of likely huge cash withdrawals by some marketers to back the labour movement.
Security agents are said to have uncovered plans by some aggrieved marketers to bankroll the action with over N1billion slush funds.
It was gathered that a secret meeting was held between some marketers and members of the National Assembly on Tuesday night till early Wednesday to lobby the lawmakers to restore fuel subsidy in the 2012 Budget.
A security source, who cannot be named because of his position, said: “There is more to the strike. Some aggrieved marketers, who have been importing nothing but benefiting from fuel subsidy, are out to destabilise the government.
“We may have no cause than to crackdown on a few marketers trying to destroy the nation’s economy for selfish ends.
“We are probing some marketers for taking undue advantage of the issues raised by Labour to cause mayhem nationwide.
“Security agencies have identified six of the marketers, who are the arrowheads of this covert plot to bring down the government.
“These marketers have voted over N1billion to hijack the labour strike to make the nation ungovernable.
“Some of these marketers will soon be invited for questioning. And whoever is involved might be tried accordingly.”
He did not name the marketers, who the source said “are unhappy because the removal of subsidy will put an end to cooking of records to get refund from government and diversion of subsidised imported fuel to neighbouring countries where they make triple profit”.
He went on: “They are also angry that it will no longer be business-as-usual. They are some of the beneficiaries of fuel subsidy.
“Unfortunately, they have made labour leaders to believe that they are backing Nigerian workers for a just cause.”
Responding to a question, the source added: “These marketers do not even want labour to explore the dialogue option being offered by the Federal Government.
But the CBN Deputy Governor (Operations), Mr. Tunde Lemo, said: “If anybody is concocting huge withdrawals to finance a national strike, it will fail.
“I think we should all rally round the government to allow this deregulation to succeed. There will be initial pains but Nigerians will enjoy the benefits.”
Pressed further on the security reports, Lemo said: “I am not aware of anything like that yet, but I will be surprised if anybody does that. I don’t think anybody should contemplate that. And whoever does that will face the wrath of the law.”
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