It is payback time for indicted oil marketers as some of the 25 (recently updated from 21) oil firms indicted of subsidy fraud have begun to refund their ill-gotten gains.

The controversial move by the Federal Government to halt payment of subsidies to possibly fraudulent oil firms has raised fears of a nationwide fuel scarcity, but governors for the 36 states have rallied around the FG, supporting the decision to hold the oil marketers accountable and recover subsidy claims.

Governor Peter Obi of Anambara state revealed in an interview that the government is already seeing results.

He said: “The National Executive Council, NEC, commended the Federal Government on its present stand in the prosecution of those who were wrongly paid subsidy money and on the need for them to refund it fully. From the report we got today, some have started refunding.

“It is a serious case that people were paid for vessels that were not anywhere near the Nigerian waters. And I think when Federal Government does a thing that is courageous and right, it should be encouraged and that can, at least, give it the courage to do more,” Governor Obi said.

The southeast governor called on Nigerians to back the Federal Government and support efforts to “clean up the entire value chain and process of petroleum industry”.

It is not clear which amongst the 25 indicted oil firms have begun refunding subsidy claims.