Prices of petroleum products in Abia State have skyrocketed since President Bola Tinubu removed the petrol subsidy.
In addition, most petrol stations in the city closed their doors on Tuesday and displayed ‘No Fuel’ signs at their entrance.
The few that opened for business charged N520 to N550 per litre for petrol, also known as Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), while black market operators charged N600.
It was also a bad day for truck drivers, who were unable to purchase diesel to fill the tanks of their vehicles.
As a result, commercial transport companies raised their fares by 100%.
Intra-city shuttle buses and tricycle operators, known as Keke NAPAP, now charge N200 and N250 for a drop, up from N100 previously.
Umuahia, the state capital, saw low vehicular traffic as commercial transporters left their vehicles at home, forcing passengers to walk long distances to their destinations.
Similarly, commercial banks in Umuahia did not open their halls for customers on Tuesday.
In all banks visited by our reporter at Library Avenue, popularly known as ‘Bank Road’ and at Umuwaya Road, customers were seen stranded as they were told by security men, to come back on Wednesday, leaving the customers frustrated.
In some of the banks, however, Automated Teller Machines, ATMs were dispensing money to customers.
No notice was pasted on the walls of the banks about the non-service inside their halls, but a staff in one of the banks said it was a careful security decision.
The staff, who pleaded anonymity, said his bank was studying the security situation in the town.
Asked if their branch’s closure stemmed from the May 30 ‘Biafra Day’ declaration by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, the staff declined a response.
It would be recalled that IPOB declared May 30 as a ‘compulsory’ sit-at-home to celebrate Biafra Day.