The National Leadership of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) on Sunday distanced itself from a strike called by the Western Zone of the association.

The Western Zone had said it was backing the Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ opposition to Dangote acquiring trucks to transport its products to users.

The Western Zone in a press statement signed by its Chairman and Acting Secretary, Basorun Joseph Akanni and Mr. Adeleke Adeoye, said Dangote’s intention contravenes the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), and urged its members to begin a strike on Monday.

But a statement by the National Ex-Officio, Douglas Iyike on behalf of the National Executive Council (NEC) of IPMAN, urged its members to disregard the strike.

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He added that what Dangote plans to do would free the drivers from multiple and choking levies they are forced to pay by petroleum tanker drivers.

He also said that the action of Dangote was supported by the PIA.

Iyike said: “I am refuting this story as the Former chairman of IPMAN Benin Depot and presently the National Ex-Officio of IPMAN.

“That IPMAN National Executive Council NEC under the leadership of Alahji Maigandi Shittima is not aware of such action preconceived by the IPMAN Western Zone to make such a pronouncement of IPMAN Western Zone going on strike by Monday.

READ ALSO:NUPENG Tanker Drivers Announce Strike Over CNG Trucks Dispute

“And as you would know the PIA bill has given the room for any individual to own a refinery in the country and have your own trucks to distribute your products and even build petrol stations if you choose to where your products can be dispense to the general public , so Dangote has not done any harm but good to we marketers and to the general public.

“Howbeit, I want to state unequivocally that the IPMAN western zone has no impetus to call for any strike has it lack the constitutional powers to do so as it is only the National Executive Council of IPMAN that has the reserved right to do so and not the zone or any Depot and the western zone should also by this statement take into cognizance that they are not on their they are under the NEC of IPMAN according to the IPMAN constitution of 2009 as amended and as such cannot take any decision of any kind of strike or demonstration regarding the interest of marketers without the approval of the National Executive Council of IPMAN.

“We advise esteemed marketers to go with their normal day to day business.”

READ ALSO:JUST IN: Doctors Issue 10-day Ultimatum, Threaten Strike

Iyike said that the Dangote Refinery is a good development for creation of jobs to the citizens of this country and also a good development to the marketers who could no longer afford to buy petroleum products in their various stations outlets.

He said the development would make marketers get products on credit bases and pay the balance after sales “which will help marketers to bounce back to business.”

“IPMAN nationwide is solidly behind Dangote Refinery and we will not allow few individuals to truncate this development in the downstream industry and the level of enormous levies on marketers before getting their products to their stations outlet will be a thing of the past.”

Human rights activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress in the 2023 elections, Omoyele Sowore, has vowed not to delete a tweet critical of President Bola Tinubu, despite a reported request from the Department of State Services to X, demanding its removal.

Sowore disclosed this in a post on his X account on Sunday morning, revealing that the social media platform had formally contacted him about the DSS request.

Sowore, a human rights activist, journalist, and publisher of Sahara Reporters, is known for his outspoken criticism of successive Nigerian governments and advocacy for good governance.

He contested the 2019 and 2023 presidential elections under the African Action Congress and has been at the forefront of several pro-democracy campaigns.

The PUNCH earlier reported that the DSS had written to X Corp., demanding the immediate takedown of Sowore’s post, claiming it disparaged Tinubu and posed a threat to national security.

READ ALSO:DSS Gives X Ultimatum To Pull Down Sowore’s Tweet

Vowing not to play to the DSS’ gallery, he wrote, “This morning, X (formerly Twitter) officially contacted me about the despicable threat letter they received from the lawless DSS over my Tweet on Tinubu. One option I will NOT be taking is deleting that Tweet. Thank you, @X,” Sowore wrote.

He also shared the message sent to him by X, which confirmed that the platform had received a legal request from the Nigerian secret police concerning his post.

The message read, “Hello @YeleSowore. In the interest of transparency, we are writing to inform you that X has received a request from the Department of State Services regarding your X account, @YeleSowore, that claims the following content violates the law(s) of Nigeria. @YeleSowore, we have not taken any action on the reported content at this time as a result of this request.

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“As X strongly believes in defending and respecting the voice of our users, it is our policy to notify our users if we receive a legal request from an authorised entity (such as law enforcement or a government agency) to remove content from their account. We provide notice whether or not the user lives in the country where the request originated. This page provides more information: https://help.x.com/en/rules-and-policies/defending-and-respecting-our-users-voice.

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“We understand that receiving this type of notice can be an unsettling experience. While X is not able to provide legal advice, we want you to have an opportunity to evaluate the request and, if you wish, take appropriate action to protect your interests.

“This may include seeking legal counsel and challenging the request in court, contacting relevant civil society organisations, voluntarily deleting the content (if applicable), or finding some other resolution. For more information on legal requests X receives from governments worldwide, please refer to this article on our Help Centre and our biannual Transparency Report: https://help.x.com/en/rules-and-policies/x-legal-faqs https://transparency.x.com.”

The PUNCH reports that Sowore has frequently accused the DSS and other government agencies of clamping down on dissent and free speech, insisting that his criticism of the Tinubu administration falls under constitutionally guaranteed rights.

The DSS, Nigeria’s domestic intelligence agency, has in the past been accused by rights groups of targeting dissenting voices and clamping down on free expression. Sowore himself was arrested by the DSS in 2019 over his “RevolutionNow” protest movement and was detained for several months despite court orders granting him bail.

RESA ALSO:JUST IN: DSS Writes X, Wants Sowore’s Account Deactivated Over Tweet Targeting Tinubu

X (formerly Twitter) has a stated policy of notifying users when it receives legal demands from governments requesting the takedown of content. The platform has also faced pressure in Nigeria before — most notably during the 2021 Twitter ban by the Federal Government, which accused the company of undermining national security after it deleted a tweet by then-President Muhammadu Buhari.

Sowore’s latest confrontation with the DSS highlights the ongoing tension between government authorities and citizens’ digital rights, particularly regarding criticism of public officials online.

His insistence on keeping the tweet online could spark renewed public debate on freedom of speech, government surveillance, and the limits of dissent in Nigeria’s democracy.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has dismantled an international drug cartel operating between Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia and the United Arab Emirates, arresting three kingpins and intercepting narcotics worth over ₦6.4 billion.

The NDLEA, in a statement signed by its Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, and released on Sunday in Abuja, disclosed that the operation began on August 26, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, when its officers intercepted 76 cartons of textile materials bound for Sydney, Australia.

“Concealed within were 16 blocks of cocaine weighing 17.9kg, hidden alongside local charms allegedly intended to shield traffickers from detection,” the statement noted.

A freight agent, Olashupo Michael Oladimeji, was arrested in connection with the consignment, which NDLEA said carried a street value of over AU$5.3 million (₦5.3bn).

READ ALSO:NDLEA Nabs Wanted Drug Kingpin With 11.6kg Cocaine, Meth After Seven Years

Subsequent investigations led to the arrests of Muaezee Ademola Ogunbiyi, identified as the syndicate’s Nigerian coordinator, and Shola Adegoke, another senior member.

Ogunbiyi was picked up in Ikeja GRA on September 3, with officers later recovering 21 parcels of Canadian Loud cannabis, a pump-action rifle and cartridges from his Lekki residence.

Adegoke was arrested at a packaging house in Ikeja GRA, where officers also recovered 9.6kg of Loud from a Range Rover SUV.

NDLEA disclosed that Adegoke had previously served a jail term in the UK for methamphetamine trafficking, while Ogunbiyi had completed a 14-year sentence in Britain for murder.

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The agency further identified Adebisi Ademola Omoyele, alias Mr Bee, currently based in Dubai, as the cartel’s overall leader managing overseas operations.

The statement further stated that the NDLEA operatives intercepted other shipments across the country.

“At Onne Port, Rivers State, a joint NDLEA–Customs operation uncovered 160,200 bottles of codeine-based syrup hidden in ceramic sanitary wares, with an estimated street value of ₦1.1bn.

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“In separate raids, officers seized hundreds of kilogrammes of cannabis, Colorado and Loud in Lagos, Abuja, Kogi, Edo, Kaduna, Anambra, Niger and Taraba. Notably, 625kg of cannabis was recovered in Surulere, Lagos, while 18.7 tonnes of skunk were destroyed on two plantations in Taraba.

“Also at Lagos airport, Milan-based Nigerian Gabriel Michael was arrested attempting to smuggle 24,480 tramadol tablets to Italy. He told investigators the pills were meant to fetch €19,520”.

The NDLEA Chairman, Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa (retd) commended the operatives involved and urged continued vigilance under the agency’s “balanced approach” of enforcement and its War Against Drug Abuse advocacy campaigns.