An official of the Federal Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment, Mr Ibrahim Isah, on Friday said that some filling stations in Kogi State had been fleecing unsuspecting motorists by under-dispensing petrol to them.
Isah, the Deputy Director, Weights and Measures Department of the ministry, said that officials of the department made the discovery during a three-day surveillance on the activities of the filling stations in different parts of the state.
He said this in Lokoja at the end of the exercise that the filling stations were able to deceive motorists and carry out the illegal act without being discovered by hanging N143 per litre tag on their stations.
Isah said that the development was worrisome as some affiliate stations of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) were also involved the illegal act, under-dispensing and thereby selling petrol above the approved price.
According to him, many of the filling stations inspected by the officials were also discovered to be defaulting in the payment of verification fees for years.
He said that the actions of the filling stations contravened Section 25, 30 A and 30 B of the Weights and Measures Act 16, Cap W3 of 2004 as amended.
To this end, Isah said that 10 of the filling stations had been shut down by the ministry, and their owners would be charged before a federal high court for their illegal action.
He said that the indicted filling stations include BUMAK Energy Ltd. filling station at Kabba junction, Lokoja, which was allegedly caught selling the product at N173:39k per litre.
Isah listed nine others as, NNPC filling station, Ajaokuta Road; Mobil filling station, Felele, Lokoja; Total filling station, Ayangba; Forte Oil filling station, Ayangba; and Yaman filling station, Ankpa.
They also include NNPC filling station, Ankpa; Al -Nur filling station, Ankpa; Kabmed filling station, Ayangba; and the NNPC filling station, Ankpa.
According to the Deputy Director, all the nine filling stations others listed had been dispensing petrol to motorists at between N152.3 kobo and N169: 43 kobo per litre.
He said that the team also issued warning to 35 other filling stations to desist from under-dispensing the product or face the full wrath of the law.
Isah said that the department would scale up its surveillance on filling stations in the state, to ensure that they comply with the official price of N145 per litre.
