The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) South-east zone has directed all its members to stop selling petrol at prices other than the Federal Government (FG) approved price of 87 Naira per litre.

And yesterday the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) Kaduna Zonal Office sealed eight petrol stations in the state capital and environs for selling above the N87 official pump price of petrol and also for adjusting their sales machines to cheat customers.

The Executive Chairman of IPMAN South-east zone, Mr. Bobby Dick, at a joint meeting of executives of the association at the headquarters in Aba, Abia State, said any member who buys or sells the product above government approved price henceforth would be doing that at his or her own risk.

Mr. Dick said the move by the association was to collaborate and support President Buhari-led administration’s campaign of sanitising the petroleum sector and ameliorating the suffering of the masses.

The chairman urged the Department of Petroleum Resources not to relax in their onus to check and ensure that tank farm owners do not hoard petroleum products or sell higher than government approved prices.

In Kaduna,DPR’s Head of Engineering and Standards, Engineer Yahaya Maishera, said the sealed petrol stations were caught in the illegal act during a routine monitoring of service stations within the state capital.

Some of the sealed petrol stations are Tonsjos Service Station, Kachia Road, Al-Mudeco Service Station, Nnamdi Azikiwe Bye-pass, Mobil Service Station and Shema Petroleum.

DPRsaidthey willremain closed, in addition to the owners paying N100,000 fine and signing an undertakingnot flout the rules of the agency.

With the resumption of production at Kaduna Refinery, residents of Kaduna are now buying petrol at official price.

DPR also announced that 100 trucks of petrol have been lifted by different independent marketers from the Kaduna refinery for onward delivery to the states within the northern region.

It assured residents of adequate monitoring of the distribution of the products in order to ensure they are not diverted by marketers. The agency further warned marketers to desist from illegal diversion of fuel and other petroleum products as anyone caught in the act will be severely punished accordingly.

Prior to this time, 95 per cent of petrol stations still sell petrol above 87 Naira per litre, as against the FG’s directive.

•Photo shows a sealed petrol station.