The Department of Petroleum Resources in Rivers State has sealed five filling stations in Port Harcourt for committing sharp practices, including diversion and hording of petrol products.
DAILY POST reports that this time the DPR officials were accompanied by Officials of the Department of Security Service and personnel from Civil Defence Corps.
The DPR during the joint operation issued Notice of Penalty to Conoil filling station at Ikokwu Junction along Ikwerre road for under dispensing and hoarding of product.
Chinda Petroleum Limited around Mile three axis of Ikwerre road was also sealed for hoarding and over pricing, while MRS filling station which is said to have received about thirty-three thousand liters of petrol was sealed for diversion of product.
Jet Super Kiosk and Tonnino along Ada-George road were sealed for selling a liter of fuel at two hundred and thirty naira which is above the approved pump price of petrol.
The Port Harcourt Zonal Controller, Ibani Frank-Briggs who spoke to newsmen on the development expressed concern that the filling stations decided to punish Nigerians during the Christmas and New Year season.
Frank-Briggs who confirmed that over thirty-five filling stations across the Rivers state received petrol product on Thursday, assured that DPR will not relent in its efforts to ensuring that the right thing was done in petroleum industry, just as he insisted that erring stations would be made to pay the necessary penalties.
He said, “officials of Civil Defence have been directed to go after those filling stations in the habit of selling product only at night”, just as he disclosed that filling stations sealed for the second time will definitely not open till after six months.
