The Ondo State Government has warned petroleum marketers against closing their filling stations in a bid to create artificial fuel scarcity in the state.
The government said it had observed that some marketers were allegedly refusing to sell fuel despite having sufficient stock.
The warning was contained in a statement issued by the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Engr. (Dr.) Johnson Jaiyeola Alabi.
Alabi expressed concern that the actions of such marketers could disrupt normal economic activities across the state.
He noted that the government does not oppose the sale of petrol at the current market rate.
However, he stressed that hoarding products or deliberately shutting down stations to trigger panic among residents would not be accepted.
According to him, such practices could encourage panic buying and negatively affect daily commercial operations.
The commissioner therefore urged marketers to avoid actions capable of causing artificial scarcity, warning that any offender would face sanctions in accordance with the law.