For hoarding and increasing the price of premium motor spirit, the Oyo State government and Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, yesterday sealed some petrol stations in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital and other parts of the state.
Not less than10 filling stations were sealed off following the enforcement by a combined team of the operatives of the DPR and officials of the Oyo state government.
Seven were sealed off yesterday in addition to the three sealed off on Tuesday.
The enforcement took place in Akobo, Ashi, Apata, Olorundaba, among other areas.
Some of the filling stations sealed include Kesbash Oil Nigeria Limited,Swort Oil & Gas, Oduwoye Global Services Ltd, JOSFRAD International Venture, Roylab International Venture and Baley Nigeria Limited.
The filling stations sealed off were found guilty of hoarding and selling petrol above the approved pump price of N145.
The team also forced four filling stations that were hoarding fuel to dispense at the Federal government approved pump price to the relief of the people.
The government said it set up the special task force team to support the DPR officials to rid the state of the activities of economic saboteurs parading themselves as petroleum marketers.
DPR Deputy Controller (Operations), Oyo State Sadiq Ibrahim who led the team told reporters that the essence of the monitoring was to check hoarding and price hike.
Ibrahim said: “Those filling stations caught hoarding the product will be charged for hoarding, while those who were selling above pump price will also be sanctioned. “This is because government has not increased pump price. What we have been able to do is to compel those hoarding to sell to the public at pump price and later seal them,’’ he said.
Special Adviser to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Community Relations Alhaji Abidemi Siyanbade said the team would continue with the enforcement until sanity returned.
Residents of the areas visited across the metropolis lauded the initiative, saying the efforts would go a long way in alleviating the hardship.
Mr Awoniyi Babatunde, a resident, said: “This is a great mess and we can’t continue like this. Our people cannot continue to blame the government on the issue but face the reality. Some marketers are just wicked. We are happy about the enforcement,’’ he said.
