The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on Tuesday intensified efforts to curtail the incidence of gas explosion in Lagos State with the closure of seven Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) plants.
The oil and gas industry regulator said the affected LPG (cooking gas) plants were sealed for not complying with the prerequisite safety standards and operating without valid licences.
The sealed gas stations are situated in locations across Lagos Island and Lagos Mainland.
Eight employees of the sealed gas plants were also arrested by officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), which collaborated with the DPR in the exercise.
Mr Ayorinde Cardoso, DPR Zonal Operations Controller, Lagos, said the LPG plants were shut down for various reasons including operating within densely populated areas and under high tension electrical installations.
Cardoso said some of the sealed facilities did not meet the minimum 15 meters distance required for such operations, which was a critical safety requirement.
He said that the sealed plants were also operating without approval or licence from the DPR, adding that the agency would continue to clamp down on such illegal plants.
Cardoso said: “We are here on surveillance assignment because the Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, has declared this year as the Year of Gas.
“So, we want to make sure that all operators in this line of business abide by the rules and regulations.