Fuel scarcity worsens in Kaduna as DPR, KRPC, sanction filling stations for hoarding

The worsening fuel scarcity that hit Kaduna State has forced a combined team of officials of Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC), and security agents to open up several filling stations hoarding fuel for sale to motorists, as they sanctioned 3 filling stations in Zaria.

The lingering scarcity has forced several motorists to abandon their vehicles on queues at many filling stations when petrol was not available to go back home.

However, the combined team of officials of DPR, KRPC and security agents, including Directorate of State Security (DSS) and armed Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) swarmed several filling stations where the managers were hoarding fuel and those selling between N215 and N250 unofficial pump prices to motorists.

In Zaria, many petrol stations did not dispense fuel to motorists, however some of the stations visited by the combined team of DPR, KRPC and security operatives had several litres of fuel in their underground tanks.

At Mamu Oil Nigeria Limited, the team discovered that 3,800 litres of fuel and 33,000 litres of kerosine were hoarded in the underground tank of the filling station, as the manager of the station was immediately ordered to sell the products to motorists.

Speaking to Journalists, the Zonal Operation of DPR, Alhaji Tafida Isa and the KRPC Executive Director, Operations, Alhaji Abba Bukar said that the team got a tip off of the hoarding of fuel products by the filling stations from DSS and Civil Defence officials.

He said Farmskan’s case was the worst as there were hoarding 11,000 litres of PMS, saying, “even when we sealed the station, we checked the reservoir and they had 9,400 litres of petrol, which means they sold just 1,600 litres of PMS in two days.” To this end, he disclosed, ‘We are suspending the station for three months for under dispensing. But we have to see that they exhaust all they have in stock.

Black marketers sold fuel along all the roads at N1500 in 4 litre jerry cans.