Many passengers have become stranded in the Sango, Fate and Maraba axis of Ilorin, the capital city of Kwara, as tricycle drivers ordered passengers out of their vehicles to protest against the petrol pump price increase on Thursday morning.

Ami Fawaz, a resident of Ilorin who was ordered out of a tricycle along the road, told FIJ that this happened between 9 am and 11 am.

“I experienced this along the Sango-Fate Road when I was going out around 9 am and also when I was returning around 10:30 am,” Fawaz told FIJ on Thursday.

“Some tricycle and motorcycle riders started a protest in some parts of Ilorin. They stopped other keke maruwa and motorcycle riders from transporting passengers, which made many pedestrians trek.”

FIJ also saw footage showing some tricycles parked by the roadside while the stranded passengers walked.

FIJ also learnt that the motorists were saying they could not continue transporting passengers with the hike in petrol pump price since they were not making profits, as they ordered passengers out of their vehicles.

READ ALSO: Nigerians Spend Hours at Filling Stations While Benin, Niger Enjoy Smuggled Fuel

@stylebyAmirah, an X user who experienced this, also shared her experience on the social media platform.

She wrote on X:

“I entered keke from my house to the Post Office and another one from there to Fate. We had not even moved past one minute when they started asking everybody to drop, and everybody should start trekking that they were not working. Including bikes.”

Nigerians are experiencing another season of fuel scarcity and increased pump prices. FIJ has learnt that petrol is being sold in filling stations at N885 per litre, increasing transport fares across major cities.

While Nigerians are bemoaning this increase in pump price and the struggle to purchase fuel, Nigeria’s neighbours in the Benin Republic and Niger Republic are enjoying fuel smuggled from Nigeria.