Officials of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Ogun on Friday raided some illegal outlets on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that seven retailers were arrested by personnel of the DPR in company with men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
NAN also reports that the point of sale, which was about 100 meters to the Mowe Police Station on the busy highway, had more than 15 vendors selling petroleum products
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No fewer than 40 drums of diesel were found at the scene, while 27 were heavy laden with the petroleum products.
Speaking with NAN after the raid, Mr Akinlade Kasali, DPR’s Head of Operations, said it was illegal to store or sell petroleum products without due license from the department.
He said the quality of what the illegal retailers sold to the unsuspecting buyers could not be ascertained.
“What these people are doing is against the law. You are not supposed to store or sell petroleum products without complying with the relevant petroleum laws.
“We’re not even sure of the quality of what they’re selling as diesel to motorists and our essence of coming here is to stop things like these,” he said.
Kasali, who said those arrested would be prosecuted, urged anyone interested in selling petroleum products to follow due process.
He said the department would continue to conduct routine surveillance and monitoring in order to ensure sanity in the business.
One of the traders, Zakariyahu Abdulahi, who spoke with NAN, said the business was his only source of livelihood.
NAN reports that some traders in the area, however, went on rampage as a result of the arrests, causing a temporary gridlock on the highway.
It took the intervention of security agents to douse the tension and restore normalcy on the ever-busy highway. (NAN)
