Petroleum marketers in Anambra State have said they will stop selling fuel from June 12, 2025, if the state government does not address what they call excessive taxes.
This warning came after a meeting held at a petrol station in Awka on Wednesday, where members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) discussed their frustrations.
They say their members are being harassed and forced to pay different kinds of levies by officials of the Anambra State Internal Revenue Service (AIRS).
These actions, according to the marketers, are making it hard for them to run their businesses and keep petrol stations open.
The chairman of the IPMAN Enugu Depot Community, who oversees operations in Anambra, Enugu, and Ebonyi States, said their members are being intimidated and extorted under the guise of collecting taxes.
He added that the tax charges they are facing are higher than the amount agreed upon in 2024, and this started happening in January 2025.
According to him, this change has led to financial losses and is making it difficult for them to remain in business.
He explained that the marketers had been paying N120,000 monthly in levies, but now the amount is no longer fixed and often goes above the agreed rate.
The marketers are asking the state government to fix a clear, single payment amount and stop all other extra charges.
If nothing changes within 21 days, IPMAN says they will shut down all petrol stations in Anambra.
They have also promised to send a formal complaint to the government.
The group is calling on Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo to take urgent action and put an end to the situation, which they say feels like unfair treatment by the tax agency’s workers.
In reaction to the outcry, the head of the AIRS, Chief Greg Ezeilo, said the government will form a committee to look into the matter.
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