The diversion of petroleum products has remained a hindrance to efforts made to end the current petrol scarcity in Nigeria and consequent over pricing.

To end the trend, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has heightened monitoring efforts, with an aim of arresting defaulters.

Over the weekend, the DPR intercepted a truck in Rivers State and enforced the sales of the product.

The Head Downstream with the DPR, Port Harcourt Zone, Patrick Emordi, told reports that the agency intercepted the truck along the Choba axis of the state capital on its way to a neighbouring state.

Mr Emordi said the DPR would punish any truck caught diverting products.

“Anyone caught in the act will face the full weight of the law and be made to pay the fine of 200 Naira for every litre,” he stated.

That comes to six million Naira per truck of 30 000 litres of petrol.

Few weeks ago, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, told a gathering in Lagos that petroleum products were being diverted to neighbouring countries, which had made it difficult to end the petrol scarcity, the worst that the nation has experienced in a decade.