DPR has begun clamp down on petroleum marketers in Niger State as they sealed off two NNPC affiliated stations in Minna.
The Controller of the Department of Petroleum Department (DPR) in the state, Engineer Abdullahi Jankara, and his team made the closure of the petrol service stations in Nigeria’s northern region.
The DPR boss said that they have kicked off intensified surveillance to various filling stations in Minna and its environs where many stations were compelled to sell at government approved price and desist from hoarding the product.
The two NNPC associated filling stations sealed were NNPC Shango located along the Minna/Suleja road and NNPC Maitumbi along the Minna/Gwada road.
Mr Jankara has also compelled some independent marketers found to be selling the product above government approved pump price to reverse the price back to 86.50 Naira per litre while they ensured that all product carried in to the state were dispensed accordingly.
While ordering the closure of the NNPC mega affiliate in Shango for using only one pump out of the 18 pumps in the station to sell the product to the public, he described the act as a plot to hoard the product and sabotage the efforts of the DPR.
The DPR official affirmed that the station would remain sealed until six of the pumps were functional, stressing that the attitude of the station did not only amount to sabotage but a deliberate attempt to inflict suffering on the public who were made to remain on queue for several hours before getting the product.
He directed the station owner to repair the said broken down pumps within 48 hours or face the penalty of distributing the product free to the public and be made to pay fine.
Engineer Jankara also explained that the mega affiliate in Maitumbi was sealed off for selling the product at night and at the rate of 100 Naira per liter to black market operators.
He maintained that the station would remain sealed until the operator of the station pays the sum of 400,000 Naira penalty to the Federal Government.
Jankara vowed that the department would not relent on the clamping down on all stations involved in illegal dealings until sanity was restored in the system.
He disclosed that at least 150 stations were visited within last week where about eight marketers were apprehended.
