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.
