The Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Abeokuta field office, on Monday sealed two filling stations in Ogun over alleged regulatory violations.

NMDPRA said the sealing was part of efforts to enforce compliance, protect consumers from sharp practices, and ensure that petroleum marketers dispense the correct quantity of products across the state.

The surveillance team, led by Olufemi Adebowale, Head of Distribution Systems, Storage, and Retailing Infrastructure (DSSRI), sealed Mangerborn Energy and Mobil filling stations located on the Akute/Ajuwon axis in the Ifo Local Government Area.

Speaking during the exercise, Mr Adebowale stated that the action became necessary due to repeated breaches of regulatory requirements by the affected filling stations.

According to him, records available to the authority show that Mangerborn Energy has consistently violated regulatory requirements by under-dispensing petroleum products, illegally breaking official seals affixed to the facility, and resuming operations without authorisation.

He explained that such actions violated the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 and undermined efforts to protect consumers from exploitation.

“It is high time we made it clear that they cannot continue to under-dispense products, deliberately remove our seals, and believe that nothing will happen.

“Also, once a station is sealed, it has no authorisation to operate, but this station deliberately removed our seal and continued operations, which is against the law,” he said.

Mr Adebowale disclosed that the authority had been monitoring the station’s activities since 2025 and described the violations as persistent despite several enforcement actions.

He revealed that the affected station had been sealed no fewer than six times within the period but continued to remove the authority’s seals and ignore invitations extended by the regulator.

“From our records, this has been happening since last year. The station has also refused to honour our invitations. It has been sealed not less than six times, yet they keep removing our seals and resuming operations,” he said.

On the sanctions awaiting the operators, Mr Adebowale said the authority had served the stations with enforcement notices, while the facilities would remain shut until all stipulated conditions were met.

He added that the NMDPRA management would also consider suspending the operating licences of the affected stations and issuing a strong warning to any filling station that intends to go against PIA’s rules.

“We are also looking at suspending the operating licence, subject to management’s approval,” he said.

Mr Adebowale said the affected stations had been served letters and shut down until they met the necessary conditions, including payment of applicable penalties.

He warned that any further attempt to tamper with the seals or to resume operations illegally would result in prosecution. 

(NAN)