The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation on Monday dismissed allegations that its employees usually collect N25 for every litre of kerosene sold as mobilisation fee from marketers before allocating kerosene to them.

The acting Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Dr. Omar Ibrahim, challenged anyone with evidence of such payment to tender it so that the staff concerned could be identified and punished.

Ibrahim, in statement, was quoted as saying “We make bold to state that this allegation is completely false, callous and malicious. We recall that this is not the first time such unfounded allegations are made against the NNPC.

“The Senator Magnus Abe-led Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) called all the stakeholders in the downstream sub-sector for a public hearing over similar allegations. No one came out to confirm the allegations.”

He said petroleum marketers under the aegis of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria and the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association had come up with statements denying ever paying any amount of money beyond the approved N40.90 per litre ex-depot price for kerosene.

Ibrahim said, “Our depots are known, 22 of them across the country. And members of our staff are also known. It will help the system if those making the allegations could furnish us with evidence of extortion so that we could investigate and take necessary actions. Until we are given evidence, we maintain that what is reported remains a rumour