By Emma Arubi
Following the fire explosion that rocked the Products and Pipelines Marketing Company, PPMC, loading depot on Monday, greedy petroleum product marketers trying to cash in on the unfortunate incident to rake in more money, have continued to engage in hoarding of fuel and selling above the regulated pump price.

As queues persist in some areas, motorists now throng places where regular sales continue without hitches along the ever busy Warri/Sapele road where there are more filling stations.

Motorists spoken to blamed the artificial scarcity on greed of some independent marketers who suddenly stopped selling fuel. They appealed to NNPC to go out and shut down those stations as they were only out to inflict undue suffering on the masses.

Some dealers spoken to decline comments, saying when they received products, they would start sales, stressing that their products got finished the very day the fire occured at the NNPC loading depot.

Vanguard gathered that repair works on the few damaged facilities in the depot had commenced, even as the state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has assured that the explosion would not affect product supply as stated by the company’s management.

Meanwhile, an illegal fuel depot at the notorious Effurun roundabout in Uvwie council area of the state, near Warri, went up in flames, resulting in losses worth millions of naira.

The cause of the inferno could not be ascertained, even as traders at the illegal fuel depot were seen bemoaning their plight, especially as no efforts were made to contain the flame.