Just as the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), are intensifying its shut down of filling stations in Ibeju Lekki and Epe in Lagos for hoarding fuel and selling above pump price, motorists and residents within Abule-Osun and Volkswagen axis along Badagry Expressway have called for their rescue from shylock filling stations operators.
Motorists who spoke to journalists said while they set their meters at regulated N145, fuel dispenser on putting the pump to your car will tell you it’s N170 or nothing.
However, only Oando at Abule Ado sells at government regulated price while the rest on the axis sell between N170 and beyond.
Earlier last week, DPR had sealed up three filling stations Ibeju Lekki and Epe environs.
The Chief Mechanical Engineer of the agency, Mr. Igheghe Abel, who led the inspection team, said that two filling station were sealed in Epe while one was seal along Ibeju-Lekki Epe Road for dispensing the product at N170 per litre.
He said “In Epe, TAS Nigeria Limited, were hoarding over 12,000 litres of petrol as at the time we visited the station on the pretense that their generator was faulty.
“But we got information from motorists that they were selling at N170 per litre, when they got wind that DPR is around they stopped selling.
“We have summoned them to our office in Lagos to come and tell the management why they are hoarding and selling above the official price.
“At T.Tab Global Merchant in Epe, they pretended that they did not have the stock because nobody was around to answer us, but the motorists confirmed to us that they stopped selling because of our presence in the town.
“We have sealed the station as well, the dealer has been invited to our office,” he said.
Abel said that at NIPCO filling station at Kilometre 32, Ibeju-Lekki-Epe Road, the attendants sold petrol at N170 per litre when the team arrived the station which warranted it to be shut for cheating customers
In his unacceptable explanation, the dealer of the station who identify himself as a monarch of a community said he bought the product from a third party depot at N165 per litre.
NNPC had been stessing that it has not increased depot price, hence the claims by the hoarders remain questionable.
