Denu, April 7, GNA - The Ketu South District Security Committee (DISEC) has placed a ban on the sale of petrol in the district between 1900 hours and 0600 hours daily.

The sale of petrol in smaller containers, called jerry cans, has also been banned. Fuel station managers in the area have been asked to instruct their attendants to refuse selling petrol to motor riders who call at the stations very often to refuel. The ban did not affect the sale of kerosene and diesel The decisions were taken at an emergency meeting at Denu on Monday as part of efforts to deal with the resurgence of petrol smuggling in the district.

An Anti Fuel Smuggling Security Task Force comprising the Police, Fire Service, Immigration and Customs and Excise and preventive services, has been formed to enforce the restrictions. Mr Dei Kukubor, Deputy District Coordinating Director, chaired the meeting which was also attended by fuel station managers in the area. A source close to the meeting told the Ghana News Agency that a coupon system would be introduced to regulate the sale of premix fuel to fishermen to check smuggling of the product.

To enforce the ban, the source said, petrol pumps at all filling stations in the district would each be locked with two padlocks and the key to one of the padlocks at each fuel station would be in the custody of the taskforce. The source said the drastic measures were warranted by refusal by fuel station managers to abide by previous directives issued to them by the Border Security Committee (BODSEC) to forestall the smuggling of petrol.

The source said the Task Force would take stock of fuel at each fuel station to prevent their managers from announcing artificial shortages. The source said two petrol smugglers have so far been sentenced to terms of fines by an Aflao Circuit Court while another suspect Leonard Sumahla, 30, is being prepared for court.