The Department for Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Delta State has been called upon to sanction an erring filling station selling adulterated fuel to unsuspecting members of the public.
A rights activist and businesswoman, Tracy Shalokpe, who fell victim of the sharp practice recently, made the call on Thursday while speaking to journalists in Warri, Delta State.
Shalokpe, who led other victims in protest, urged the DPR to shut down FUTGA Filling Station in Otokutu community in Ughelli South Local Government Area for allegedly dispensing adulterated fuel with adjusted metres to members of the public.
“I want the world to know and I want the DPR to come to our aid. This FUTGA Filling Station, they’re selling fuel that is not good into people’s vehicles and people’s generators. That’s what they’re doing.
“As you can see, they’re still selling fuel till now. Even after they have confirmed that the fuel is not good, they’re still selling the fuel to other people,” she said.
Shalokpe, who is from Egini and Ekete community in Udu Local Government Area, said her call to DPR was informed by the N5, 000 petrol she bought from the filling station on Sunday, October 6 which badly damaged her Toyota Corolla LE car and her generating set.
“So many of the vehicle’s parts were damaged. I’m not a mechanic. The mechanic can explain much better.
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“The car is still faulty until now. Till this very moment, they’ve not been able to fix it. But they’ve changed so many things inside. Just now, they’re still taking the car back to the mechanic,” she alleged.
According to her, she started experiencing that her vehicle was jerking a few metres after buying fuel from the filling station last Sunday.
Shalokpe noted that she took the vehicle to the mechanic where it was checked and discovered that there was water inside the tank of the car as well as the generating set she also filled up at the station.
According to Shalokpe, “I came back. This very boy sitting here was the one who sold the fuel for me and that one at the back,” she said pointing at the alleged culprits.”
She said when she returned to the filling station to complain, the fuel attendant, who sold the fuel, asked her to wait for the manager whom he claimed was not around.
“At a time, he said that he was not the manager. So, I explained what happened to him, he said he was going to fix the car.
“But my issue here right now is that he doesn’t want to fix my car for me and the car is badly damaged.
“So, this morning I called him to come and rectify the issue, he refused. He is still insisting that he doesn’t want to come and fix the car,” the woman activist lamented.
Meanwhile, manager of the fuel station, simply identified as Mike, did not respond to calls on his mobile phone after the fuel attendants insisted they didn’t know his name nor available to react to the allegation.
DPR spokesperson in Warri, Mr E.O. Okeke, who was alerted by TribuneOnline, however, promised to take swift action against the alleged infraction by the filling station.
He has yet to revert toTribuneOnline before the report was filed.
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