* Alleges several stations operate without licences

 Emmanuel Akosile

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Kogi State office, in Nigeria, has sealed off three petrol filling stations for dubiously adjusting their pumps to dispense fuel below an approved quantity.

Agency report states that Mr. Idris Mohammad, Controller, Operations, Kogi Field Office of DPR, who led a team of operatives and men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) during the raid, said the filling stations were defrauding unsuspecting customers.

Mohammed said the office had realised that apart from defrauding unsuspecting customers through pump meter adjustments, most of the stations were operating illegally without operating licences.

At Ajaokuta, the team sealed off and ordered the arrest of the Manager of Binmanda Integrated Global Services filling station, at Ohunene, for defying the instructions of the DPR by “Refusing” to regularise his operations.

“The operator is not just operating illegally but he is also cheating the public. We asked him to go and regularise his operations but he refused and we have to seal the station.

“Of course, we had to bring in the Civil Defence Corps to enforce compliance with the rules and regulations as provided in the Petroleum Act.

In Ajaokuta still, the team closed down AdukuObi Petroleum filling station for         under-dispensing as Usman Yahaya, the station Manager, claimed ignorance of the pump meter adjustment.

He disclosed he only resumed duty on January 13.

In Lokoja, “Always” filling station, Phase One Junction, Lokoja, was also sealed off along with its cooking gas outfit for under dispensing and non-compliance with rules and guidelines guiding the industry.

During the raid on 11 petrol and gas stations, the DPR also sealed off two gas outfits, one each in Lokoja and Ajaokuta.

“We are doing this because they are cheating the public and the procedure is that if you are caught cheating, you must go and pay penalty,” the official said.

He added that the penalty was N100,000 fine to be paid into our TSA account for each pump sealed in addition to other punitive measures to serve as a deterrent to others.