Barely two months after officials of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) arrested suspected pipeline vandals at Abule Egba, a suburb of Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria, the corporation’s patrol team has again foiled another attempt by vandals to steal petrol at the same scene.
According to the team leader, Chief Aminu King, he was on patrol around 4am Friday with his men along Social Club Road, Abule Egba when he learnt that vandals had arrived the scene of the last attempt and were loading petrol.
”I rushed there quickly and found a tanker being loaded with fuel. On sighting my men, the vandals fled with their Toyota Camry car and a Lexus Jeep leaving the 33-litre tanker with registration number KA 893 YTM behind” he stated.
A resident, Mr. Ganiyu Ishola wondered why the military men stationed at the scene were withdrawn when there was no provision for adequate security in place to secure the pipeline from vandals.
Another resident of Social Club who simply gave his name as Mr. Ajadi said since the soldiers stationed at the scene left some few weeks ago, he normally hear the sound of oil tankers at night along the road but thought the tankers were just passing, not until this morning when he woke up to hear of another theft.
Two months ago, some vandals were arrested at a hotel along social club road and later handed over to the EFCC for prosecution.
The owner of the hotel where the theft of petrol took place was also arrested.
King advised the federal and Lagos state governments to demolish all buildings and illegal structures on the NNPC right of way to prevent vandals from hiding there to perpetrate crime.
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