From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), at the weekend, descended on several petrol filling stations in Kano metropolis, sealing no fewer than 14 of them for selling above the official pump price.
In addition to the hike in their pump price, a few others had additional cases against them, such as indiscriminate parking of trucks within their premises and lack of safety equipment in their stations.
The operation, led by the Kano State Coordinator of NMDPRA, Aliyu Mohammed Sama, covered most stations situated along Zaria Road, Maiduguri Road, Mariri and the Bypass axis, along the federal highway to Hadejia town.
Some of the stations booked and sealed by the regulators included Azman Petroleum, Redstar Oil and Gas, Allah Na Nan Nigeria Limited, Alaj Petroleum, Audu Manager and Dalamin Petroleum, all situated along Zaria Road. Others were Audu Manager Petrol Station, Rabash Petroleum and IDM Magoli Petrol Station along Maiduguri Road, among others.
Sama told journalists that the stations were sealed up by the authority in the discharge of its regulatory functions.
He noted that “we have sealed up 14 filling stations in the state capital during this operation,” adding that last month, they sealed over 120 filling stations in the state.
He stressed that the stations would pay a fine of N150,000 per pump and leave a promise not to return to the old prices before they were allowed to reopen, while warning that recalcitrant defaulters stood the risk of losing their licences.