Katsina — As fuel scarcity bites harder in Katsina State, motorists have resorted to patronize commercial motorcycles abandoning their cars, Sunday Trust observed yesterday.

Findings revealed that many car owners limited their movement due to difficulties encountered in efforts to get petrol.

Malam Lawal Muhammad said, "Owing to the scarcity of the commodity, I have now limited my movement. I drive only when necessary. I prefer to take commercial bikes for local running."

Another motorist, Alhaji Musa Yusuf, said, "I cannot afford to buy N2,000 worth of fuel every day."

He said it was not only the cost, access to the commodity was another problem in Katsina metropolis. "In places like Funtua, the commodity is available even though it is costly, unlike in Katsina metropolis where you can get it in only few filling stations," he said.

Our correspondent, who went round the metropolis, reported that most of the filling stations were shut.

Stations with the commodity sold for as high as N135 per litre, against the government's price of N97 per litre.