The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) Kano office has sealed-off two facilities over illegal processing of substance suspected to be petroleum products.
The two illegal refineries were discovered in two communities on the outskirts of Kano metropolis along Laraba Abasawa road in Gezawa Local Government Area of the state.
They were discovered via intelligence gathering by the DPR in collaboration with operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Kano State command.
The Operations Controller, DPR Kano and Jigawa field office, Alhaji Musa Zarumi Tambawal, who led an enforcement team to seal the facilities, said analysis is on going to ascertain what is being produced at the refineries.
Speaking at one of the illegal petroleum processing site, Tambawal said, “this is one of the discoveries made by the DPR and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, as part of illegal petroleum product processing zones or locations. If you look at it, you cannot say whether it is a mini-refinery, depot or whatever, from mere looking, you can see that there are tanks and everywhere is littered with oil that could be LPFO, HPFO or AGO’’.
He said the facilities would remain sealed until DPR concludes its investigations. The operators of the two facilities had fled before the DPR team and NSCDC operatives got to the locations.
In a related development, two other facilities dealing in illegal storage and sale of diesel (AGO) were sealed by DPR for violating safety standards and operating without valid licenses at Hotoro and Yankaba area of the state capital respectively.
More than 10 workers of the two outlets were arrested and are currently undergoing interrogation.
