18th February, 2018
The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Eket Field office in Akwa Ibom, says it will prosecute eight filling stations for selling fuel despite the seal-off order placed on them.
The DPR Controller of Operations in Akwa Ibom, Mr Tamunoiminabo Kingsley-Sundaye, said this on Sunday in Uyo during a surveillance inspection of the defaulting stations.
Kingsley-Sundaye said that the defaulting filling stations were still dispensing fuel when they had yet to receive clearance from DPR and as such, they would be charged to court on Feb. 19.
He listed the filling stations to include: ABC Filling Station; Oil Link Lubrication Ltd.; UdyChris Filling Station and Tonimas Filling Station.
Others are Sannil Filling station; First Indices Filling Station; Nickgloson Filling Station and Spicy Filling Station, all located in Uyo.
“We are writing to the Police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) to effect their arrest and subsequent prosecution,” he said.
He said that when the DPR surveillance team visited the filling stations that were earlier sealed, it was found out that eight of the filling stations were selling fuel with DPR seal.
“We had earlier sealed these eight filling stations for selling above approved government pump price of N145 per litre,” Kingsley-Sundaye said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the eight marketers were ordered to report to DPR office in Eket on Feb. 19.
He lamented that most marketers in the state had been flouting the price regime fixed by the Federal Government.
The DPR officer said that his office was poised to prosecute stubborn marketers violating the stipulated fuel price.
He said the fillings stations, which violated the DPR seal order, would also be suspended from loading at the depots.
“The violators will write and sign undertaking with the department that they will not sell fuel with DPR seal again.
“We are writing to the depot to stop these filling stations from lifting product,” Kingsley-Sundaye said.
He said that their suspension would serve as a deterrent to others that would want to violate government seal order.
The DPR officer also warned major marketers to desist from selling fuel to hawkers in jerry cans.
He said that his office had so far seized 50 litres of petrol and 100 jerry cans from peddlers selling fuel opposite NNPC filling station in Uyo.
Kingsley-Sundaye advised the marketers to respect the Federal Government price regime, arguing that most marketers had no evidence of lifting fuel above depot price.