The Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, Eket Field Office in Akwa Ibom, says it has uncovered seven illegal filling stations in the state.

The Operations Controller of DPR in the Akwa Ibom state, Tamunoiminabo Kingsley-Sundaye, made the disclosure at the end of the organisation’s routine surveillance in Uyo on Friday.

Kingsley-Sundaye said that the illegal stations were uncovered while carrying out the exercise in some stations in Ikot Ekpene, Obot Akara, Ikono and Essien Udim Local Government Areas of the state.

He said that the stations did not obtain DPR approval before building the facilities, hence they had to be sealed.

He further said that the stations did not have any identity, pointing out that they neither had a name nor operational licence from DPR.

Kingsley-Sundaye said: “During the routine surveillance, our observations were not palatable.

“Some facilities do not have identification and if filling stations cannot be identified, that means they are not doing what is right.

“They could not show evidence that they are stations doing genuine business. No documentation. Therefore, they have been shut down.’’

Kingsley-Sundaye said that the surveillance team visited 15 filling stations in Akwa Ibom, adding that seven were illegal, while eight were sealed for non-renewal of DPR licences.

He said that the organisation had sent a letter to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) urging the agency to ensure that the defaulting marketers were prosecuted.

He warned petroleum marketers to desist from using under-aged persons as pump attendants in their filling stations.

He said that DPR would work with NSCDC to arrest defaulting filling stations, adding that service stations should be run in line with international best practices.