Impounded 429,000 Liters of PMS in Niger

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Niger state has said it has handed over the eight  Fuel laden trucks in its custody to the state’s Depot of the Petroleum Pipelines Marketing CompanyPPMC} in Minna, the state capital adding that the agency (PPMC) is in charge of petroleum products distribution.

The state Comptroller of DPR, Engnr. Abdullahi Isah Jankara stated this on Thursday during an interactive session with the newsmen in his office,  along old airport road  in Minna, Niger State capital, saying “that the trucks containing 429,000 Liters of Premium Motor Spirit{PMS } would be taken for stocks takings as well as asking them to wait for the next line of action pending the conclusion of its investigation on the seized trucks”.

Jankara, however, stated that all the 15 suspects arrested in connection with the eight trucks of fuel in their attempts to divert the products to the neighbouring  Republic of Benin would be made to face the full wrath of the law, emphasizing that the law will surely  have to take its course.

When asked by journalists if the 429,000 liters of fuel contained in the eight trucks would be dispensed freely to members of the public, especially motorists by the authorities of the Niger State Depot of the PPMC, the DPR Boss,  responded by saying that investigation was still ongoing on the matter.

Jankara added that he cannot confirm if the products would be dispensed free of charge to members of the Nigerian public or not until the investigation was concluded on the matter by the DPR, in conjunction with other agencies.

“We already have done some investigations and during the course of our investigation, we really found out that one of the Trucks actually was being taken to a licensed Petroleum station owned by a licensed Independent Petroleum Petroleum  Marketer at Babana, in Borgu Local Government Area of the state.

“But i can tell you categorically that the owners of the remaining Seven trucks containing Fuel were not registered with the DPR in Niger state and we did not know them because they were not licensed by us”, said Jankara.

He however pointed out that at the end of the DPR’s investigation in conjunction with its counterparts PPMC’s authorities in the state that one of the eight Fuel laden trucks may be released to its owner for the sale of the product at his Filling station in Babana, a border town between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger state.

The DPR, Boss thereby appealed to members of the public that the ongoing long ques at the filling stations in parts of the state will soon become a thing of the past as the federal government in conjunction with the NNPC, has been trying to prefer solution to the problem by flooding the market with products.

He also assured that any petrol stations across the state found to be selling products above the approved pump price or hoarding the products in an attempt to create artificial scarcity would be dealt with in accordance with the law.