DPR shuts six stations, arrests four persons in Ogun

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Ogun State on Saturday sealed off six petrol stations and arrested four persons in the state.
The four people were arrested for fuel hoarding, under-dispensing, sabotage, obstruction of justice and installation of commercial gas cylinders without approval.
All the affected petrol stations were found to have more than enough of petrol but refused to sell it to the public.
Some buyers accused the station owners of selling fuel at night and above the pump price of N145 per litre.
“They only sell at night and they sell for N200 per litre,” one of the buyers in Ota, Ogun, said.
A mild drama, however, ensued at one of the filling stations along Ilaro expressway, as the attendants and the manager fled upon sighting the DPR officials and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The DPR Head of Operations, Mr. Kasali Akinade, led the surveillance team to the stations.
Akinade said the exercise followed reports that some filling stations were hoarding, under-dispensing and selling above the pump price.
“We are aware that some filling stations are either hoarding or selling above the pump price; as high as N180 or N200 per litre, which is against the government price policy of N145.
“When we see any filling station, either hoarding or not selling, what we do is to order them to start selling at the approved pump price,” he said.