DPR threatens to close 61 filling stations in Jos
From CHRISTIANA GOKYO, Jos

About 61 filling stations in Plateau state may have been pencilled for closure by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) for alleged illegal operation.
The coordinator incharge of the DPR in the state, Alhaji Usman Muhammad disclosed this on Friday during an interview with the Sunday Triumph in Jos.
He said that the department has concluded its survey on such filling stations and would soon take action if they failed to comply with the rules and regulations guiding the petroleum industry.
Alhaji Muhammad further warned them to desist from such illegal operations, adding that any operator of any filling station caught would be arrested and prosecuted.
According to him, the nation’s oil regulatory body has also warned petrol stations to desist from selling fuel in jerrycans or face the wrath of the law.
The coordinator said there are good number of petrol stations which have been sealed up last year for various offences, ranging from under dispensing and diversion of fuel to other illegal outlets.
He assured that the DPR would continue to monitor and supervise the sales of the commodity to ensure that motorists are not cheated and appealed to members of the public to assist the department with useful information that would lead to the arrest of erring stations.
Meanwhile, fuel scarcity has forced hike on the price of the commodity in Jos as a gallon of fuel in the state capital now sells for N600, while transportation is still high even after the Christmas, Sallah and New Year break.