At the least 33 fuel station have been sealed by Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Rivers State for various offences, ranging from diversion, hoarding, over-pricing and under-dispensing.


Some of the affected stations were also said to have hurriedly closed shops on sighting the DPR officials who were out to check their anti-party activities, Tribune reports.

Port Harcourt Zonal Operations Controller of the Department, Mrs Chioma Njoku, said this after a surveillance tour of filling stations in the state with men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

She said men and officers of the NSCDC also assisted DPR to impound about 4000 'jerry cans' belonging to those allegedly selling Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) illegally on the roads.

Mrs Njoku said four trucks loaded with petrol were also arrested for product diversion, adding that those behind the sharp practice would be handed over to the appropriate authority for necessary action.

"This exercise has been ongoing in the last two days. We visited 231 filling stations in all. Some filling station owners shut down their stations when they heard we were around. We had to seal up 33 of the stations with products that were shut down because they heard DPR was there," she said.

The DPR zonal boss said the department had zero-tolerance for product diversion, hoarding, over-pricing and under-disp