By EMMANUELLA ANOKAM

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) says it will clamp down and withdraw the licence of erring marketers aiding peddling of petroleum products particularly Premium Motor Spirit in jerry cans.

The NMDPRA made this known on Friday after an indoor stakeholders meeting involving major retail outlet managers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was aimed at reiterating the authoritys standing regulations against illegal peddling of petroleum products particularly PMS in jerry cans.

Mr Ogbugo Ukoha, Executive Director, Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, NMDPRA, said marketers were warned that henceforth the authority would ensure strict compliance.

Ukoha said it would increase its surveillance monitoring routine and clampdown on erring marketers found aiding and abetting this practice by suspending their retail licences.

The authority is taking this decisive step to safeguard lives and properties of Nigerians that are usually at risk of fire outbreaks through improper handling of the volatile and highly flammable product.

The authority is also mindful of the nefarious practices of cross border smuggling of the products with the use of jerry cans and must tackle such, he said.

A team led by the executive directors of NMDPRA, Ukoha and Dr Mustapha Larmode in collaboration with security agencies also conducted surveillance to some outlets around the metropolis.

In the process, the team discovered a couple of illegal fuel dumps and depots around the FCT.

The perpetrators were arrested and subsequently handed over to the Department of State Security for prosecution. (NAN)