Date: 2016-11-24

The Department of Petroleum Resources had suspended the licences of six petrol stations in some border communities of Kwara due to smuggling activities.

The state Controller of Operations, Philips Salvation, disclosed this on Wednesday in Ilorin at the Media Parliament, a programme organised by the state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists.

Salvation said that the border route had become a window for smuggling of goods meant for the South-West.

Salvation said:"This is not peculiar to petroleum products alone. It applies to all other goods meant for the South-West and Kwara.

"We are aware of this ugly development and DPR will not relent in bringing sanity to the sector."

He, however, noted that the new price regime in the petroleum sector had reduced the rate of smuggling activities in the area.

According to him, government is aware of the illegal activities and it is working tirelessly to curb the menace.

The DPR boss identified total deregulation of the downstream sector as the permanent solution to the illegal activities in the area.