Three Filling Stations Sealed By DPR In Lagos

A filling station being sealed by DPR

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on Wednesday sealed three filling stations for allegedly hoarding and selling fuel at N170 per litre in Ibeju-Lekki and Epe in Lagos State.

Igheghe Abel, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Department, who led the team, told newsmen that two filling stations were sealed in Epe and one in Ibeju-Lekki.

He accused TAS Nigeria Ltd in Epe of hoarding over 12,000 litres of petrol as at the time the DPR team visited the station.

“But we got information from motorists that they were selling at N170 per litre. When they got the wind that DPR was around, they stopped selling.

“We have summoned them to our office in Lagos to come and tell the management why they are hoarding and selling above the official price.

“The T.Tab Global Merchant in Epe pretended that it did not have the stock because nobody was around to answer us, but the motorists confirmed that it stopped selling because of our presence. We have sealed the station as well, the dealer has been invited to our office,” he said.

Abel said his team sealed NIPCO filling station at Kilometre 32, Ibeju-Lekki because its attendants were selling petrol at N170 per litre when the team got to the station.

The dealer of the station who claimed to be monarch of a community said he bought the product from a third party depot at N165 per litre.

He said,“I don’t think what I am doing is bad, my people need the product, sealing the station cannot help us.”

Austin Ibe, the operation manager of PSG filling station along Epe Road, said the station had been out of stock since November 14.

“We cannot afford to buy at the depots because they are not selling at ex-depot price of N133.28 per litre. If we now decide to buy and sell above the pump price, DPR will seal the station. This is the second month that we have been sleeping here. Government should help us so that the product can circulate,” he said.