The Department of Petroleum Resources has sealed five filling stations in Owerri, Imo State, while many others were forced to dispense the premium motor spirit, PMS, to motorists at the government approved pump price of N86.50 per litre.
The DPR officials also discovered that Oando, which was one of the stations sealed yesterday, had over 61,000 litres of PMS but could not sell because of faulty generating set.
Apparently angered by what he called “puerile explanation”, the DPR Zonal Controller, Ogbuefi Morrison Nwokedi, who led the team of officials, not only ordered the sealing of the station but also asked the dealer to report to the office when he finally fixes the generator.
The situation was different at Ebere Links where the product was selling at N170 before the arrival of DPR officials, who immediately forced them to revert to the official pump price.
According to the Zonal Controller, “No marketer has so far given us any lead to justify the outrageous price tag they placed on the petroleum product. Until they do this, we will continue to insist on the government approved pump price.”
