TheCable

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has sealed off 103 filling stations and 13 Liquefied Petroleum Gas ( LPG) plants in Lagos for alleged illegal operations.

Ayorinde Cardoso, DPR zonal operations controller in Lagos, announced this on Tuesday.

Cardoso said the outlets were shut down after a surveillance exercise was carried out by DPR task force teams on Monday.

He said the filling stations, located both on the mainland and Island axis of the state, were sealed for operating without valid licence.

”This is a continuous exercise by the DPR to improve safety in selling and distribution of LPG in Lagos State,” Cardoso said.

“The task force visited 216 facilities and observed that 103 petroleum products retail outlets lacked the prerequisite approval and were subsequently shut down.”

Regarding the closure of the LPG (cooking gas) plants, he said they were shut down for non-compliance with DPR guidelines and international safety standards.

He also said the gas plants were operating without prerequisite approval or licence from the regulatory agency, while some were operating in unapproved locations.

Cardoso added that the move was aimed at reducing the occurrence of gas explosion and fire incidents in Lagos state.

In the first half of the year, at least five cases of fire incidents and gas explosions have been reported.

In February, a fire incident was reported at Iddo terminal in Ebute Metta, which was caused by power surge when electricity was restored at shanties behind the terminus.

In March, fire engulfed seven vehicles at Otedola Bridge inwards Berger area on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway after a 45,000-litre diesel tanker had an accident.

On April 13, 2021 a gas explosion rocked the Amuwo-Odofin LGA of Lagos state, however no lives were lost to the incident.

On May 6, fire gutted a section of the Cairo market in Oshodi-Isolo LGA.

In the same month, there was a fire incident at the Alapeju section of the Ladipo spare parts market in Mushin.

In June, three persons were killed, 13 persons were injured, and 25 cars destroyed in Ikeja following an LPG tanker explosion.