The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Warri Zonal Office, on Tuesday, sealed and arrested the operator of an illegal gas outlet in Warri metropolis, Delta State.
The unnamed illegal gas outlet is located inside a residential building at Lower axis, Warri South Local Government Area.
Officials of the regulatory authority apprehended the suspect and instantly handed him over to the Nigeria Police for immediate prosecution after he was found to have violated the seal earlier placed on his facility last Thursday by the surveillance team.
The NMDPRA Coordinator in Delta State, Mr Victor Ohwodiasa, who led the surveillance operation on Tuesday, told journalists that the suspect operated an unlicensed business which was also located in a residential building.
According to him, the action of the suspect contravened the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), hence he would be prosecuted for violating the Oil and Gas law.
He said, “In a bid to rid off illegal operators in the Oil and Gas, our surveillance activities revealed that there was a gas dispensing outlet located in a residential building.
“We sealed the facility and asked the operator to relocate to a convenient place and come forward to obtain his license.
“Unfortunately, he violated the seal and continued with his illegal business.
“We mobilised again and shut down the facility, arrested the suspect and handed him over to the appropriate authority for prosecution”.
Ohwodiasa said that the NMDPRA operatives would sustain the surveillance activities in Delta State to ensure that those who engaged in the oil and gas businesses were adequately licensed for the trade.
He maintained that the NMDPRA would continue to go after violators of the PIA until the regulatory body achieved its mandates.
The state coordinator urged consumers to report any gas operator and petroleum marketer who indulged in sharp practices to the regulatory body for appropriate action.
He explained that the concern of the NMDPRA was to ensure that those operating within the oil and gas sector had their operating licenses and were operating safely.
He also urged those wishing to do business in the oil and gas industry to carry out consultations with the NMDPRA for proper guidance.
He spoke further: “Before one venture into business, you carry out feasibility studies, know the various levels of approvals to secure and have the business running, so once they come, we give them the necessary guidance.
“Our fee is very small, our emphasis is not on the fee but on the safe operations. We handle very volatile products, once there is any heat source, the next is explosion.
“So, our major concern is the safe operations of those facilities. Once, they come, we give them the necessary guidance”.
