The Controller, Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, Mr. Amos Jokodola, Wednesday said the department had clamped down about 23 private depots in Lagos for allegedly using middlemen to cause the recent increase in the pump price of fuel in some parts of the country.

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) had penultimate week, raised the alarm over the charges on fuel loading from various depots in Lagos where they paid N81.62K as against the official price of N77.61K of NNPC.

The deal was said to be the handwork of middlemen that had taken over the various depots in the country, causing increase in the pump price of fuel and creating untold hardship for the people of the country. Speaking with journalists in Ilorin yesterday, Jokodola explained that, "there is no going back on enforcing the N87 per litre as pump price."

"Our mandate is to ensure that marketers abide by federal government rules and regulations regarding the official selling price of the premium motor spirit popularly known as petrol. "Some of these allegations made by marketers are correct but our management in Lagos carried out its investigation and found out that marketers are not buying at the N77.61k NNPC price for Premium Motor spirit (PMS) "

The 23 depots that were using middlemen to perpetrate this acts were penalised appropriately and sanity has prevailed."

Jokodola stressed that though marketers complained of paying a lot of levies and other miscellaneous charges on the road, it can't stop them from complying with government directives.

He noted: "The duty of the department is to ensure that marketers do not under-deliver nor sell above the official price, adding that their responsibility is not limited to enforcement of official price but to equally ensure that the right quality and quantity of petroleum products reach the masses.

"We ensure safety because some of them are saboteurs, but we will not allow government to be blackmailed".

On the hoarding of the product, Jokotola said: "It is not permissible as it is causing hardship for the people and lamented that marketers play smart by communicating to one another to close shop because of DPR patrol."

He said: "When we go for this surveillance, some of these marketers informed one another to close shop. We have taken a step to force fuel stations to dip their underground tanks and when we discover that there is fuel we confirmed their reasons for not selling.

"If their reasons are unacceptable, we force them to start selling or we sell to the public and account for the money to the owners, we then apply sanction to the marketer."

He however said erring petrol stations will be sanctioned for three months and pay a fine of N100,000.