Residents of Abakaliki, the capital of Ebonyi State, have been thrown into panic and confusion as the pump price of petrol rose to as high as N1,200 per litre on Tuesday.
The hike in the price of petrol followed the announcement by President Bola Tinubu on Monday that he had removed the subsidy on the product.
Many filling stations in the city were shut down by the Petroleum Dealers Association, Ebonyi State chapter, while some sold petrol between N800 and N1,200 per litre.
Black marketers also took advantage of the situation and sold a litre of fuel for N1,500.
Some residents, who spoke to NAN, expressed their frustration and anger over the sudden increase in the price of petrol. They said they had resorted to panic buying and storing fuel in cans.
They appealed to Tinubu to intervene and address the situation to prevent further hardship and suffering for the people.
The state chairman of the Petroleum Dealers Association, Sailas Njaka, could not be reached for comment on why the filling stations were closed.
