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Five welders arrested for refurbishing, selling expired gas cylinders in Kaduna

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The Department of Petroleum Resources [DPR], has arrested five welders for allegedly refurbishing, selling expired gas cylinders at tye Kabala area in Kaduna South Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The DPR, on Tuesday, also ordered for the seizure of 20 pieces of 12.5kg expired and burnt gas cylinders being refurbished and sold to the unsuspecting public.

The operatives of the State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps [NSCDC] effected the arrest of the culprits.

However, the fifth person was spared because he was a “minor” during the raid by the Civil Defence operatives at the Kabala area of the state.

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The DPR, following the gas explosion at the Sabon Tasha area in Chikun Local Government Area of the State, had said it would clamp down on illegal gas retail operators across the state.

In order to actualized this, the DPR Northwest Operational Controller, Alhaji Isa Tafida had on a courtesy visit to the Kaduna State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Babangida Dutsinma, sealed a deal with the outfit to tackle the menace in the state.

Speaking shortly after the raid, the Head of Operation of the DPR Zonal Office, Kaduna, Alhaji Isa Tafida, described the burnt and expired gas cylinders as “time bomb” waiting to explode.

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He noted that the cylinders had to be seized because they were burnt, scrapped and unfit for use.

According to him, any attempt to retool them(cylinders) for reuse will be dangerous for everyone and everything around.

He cautioned residents purchasing unlicensed gas cylinders from unregistered retail gas outlets in the state.

The DPR boss said,

“The massive sensitisation programme we embarked on is working. We received a tipoff from a member of the community that this welder buys expired, scrapped gas cylinders to refurbish, paint and sell to the public as new.

“These cylinders are decommissioned with a hole in the bottom but they put a bolt in the hole and weld it like that. The cylinders don’t have strength to hold gas.
They cannot withstand gas pressure, at the slightest pressure they would explode like bomb.

“The guy just go out look for pieces of cylinder scrap, weld them together, paint them and sell as new at exorbitant prices to unsuspecting public who don’t know that they are buying time bomb.

“People buying gas cylinders should buy at DPR licensed retail outlets, they should look for SON stamp and expiry date. We came with law enforcement agents to arrest those involved for investigation.” 

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