By; Niyi Ogungbola, Abeokuta.
Five persons including a woman were injured when officers of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ogun State Command attacked an MRS petrol station located at Isale Igbein area of Abeokuta, the State capital.
The Manager of the station, Iyabo Fakunle and three attendants; Oluwole Omitope, Sodunke Olayinka and Alagbe Sefiu were also injured while a taxi driver who was identified as Yomi Olatoye had gun wounds in his stomach.
During the incident, a private Astra OPEL dark-blue car with registration number Lagos, EKY 340 AT belonging to one Mutiu Idowu also had its windscreen smashed by the irate officers.
Our Correspondent reported that MRS is one of the very few filling stations selling at the official rate of N86.5 in Abeokuta and sells the products almost on daily basis since the fuel scarcity started.
It was gathered that the fracas started when officers of the Corps came into the filling station with a Nissan Pathfinder SUV with registration number Ogun, DED 49 AA and an Hilux van, all filled with empty Jerry cans and demanded the attendants to fill the Jerry cans.
It was learnt that other customers who had waited for hours while some had spent days at the station were angered by the action of the officers and rejected their demand.
As a result of the uproar and outcry, it was gathered that the Manager pleaded with them to exercise patient and allow the station attend to other customers who had spent days at the station.
The arrangement, it was further leant did not go down well with the officers who made for the queue and started beating the men on the queue with horse-whips.
The manger of the station Mrs Fakunle, while speaking with our correspondent said she decided to switch off the dispensing machines to allow the fracas subside only for that decision to anger the officers who started shooting sporadically.
She explained that irate officers later reinforced and stormed the station with two official vehicles with registration number CD 1048 A01 and CD 150 A01 and dangerous weapons.
According to her, appeal for them not to shoot within the premises of the station as such could ignite fire fell on their deaf ears but they kept shooting sporadically within the station.
Meanwhile, all efforts to get the reaction of the Public Relations Officer of the Command, Mr Kareem Olanrewaju proved unsuccessful as two of his lines were switched off at the time of filling this report.
