By Goodluck Ikiebe.
As part of the renewed efforts to protect oil pipeline, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC),Lagos State Command, says it has evacuated twenty sacks loaded with suspected vandalised litres of Premium Motor Spirit at Akute Odo/ Aruwajoye Area, a boundary community between Lagos and Ogun state.
The Lagos Commandant of the Corps, Eweka Douglas Okoro, disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Lagos.
He said: “Towards ensuring a zero tolerance against oil pipeline vandalism and other form of criminalities in Lagos state, the Command’s operatives were detailed to the ‘Right of Way,’ to ensure the protection of the nation’s oil pipelines.
“On Friday, 30th July, 2021 at midnight at about 01:25hrs upon,ú receiving an intelligent information via the Command’s robust and compact community based intelligence network, they raced to the Akute – Odo / Aruwajoye Area to burst the inimical and evil activities of suspected vandals in the state.”
Eweka explained that the Command’s combined team discovered and evacuated thick nylons (white colour ) wrapped,numbering 20 in quantity and another hundreds of empty 25 litres of keg, which the suspected vandals intended to cart away via a wooden path around the submerged area of Akute – Odo / Aruwajoye in a boundary between Lagos and Ogun State.
“The hundreds of empty 25-litre kegs discovered were also utterly destroyed by the gallant men, to discourage the act from being further perpetrated”, he said.
He said the evacuated products had since been brought to the State Command, Headquarters in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, for further investigation.
The Commandant also directed that the security of lives and property and the protection of oil pipelines in the Area be beefed up immediately.
Okoro said that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation ( NNPC ) office in the state had also been contacted for proper evacuation of the products because of the highly inflammable nature of it.
The Commandant reiterated the Command’s readiness and commitment to ensuring a zero tolerance against oil pipeline vandalism and other forms of criminalities in the state.
He further assured the Government and people of Lagos State of his unflinching commitment and dedication toward sustaining the established peace and security in the state.
The commandant promised that the Corps would h continue to work assiduously with the Government and other security agencies and stakeholders to further proffer solutions to “security challenges that may want to raise their ugly heads.”
The Commander, Right of Way, in the Command,Deputy Superintendent of Corps ( DSC) Gbenga Akinnibosun, who headed the team that cracked the dastard act of the vandals said that the suspected vandals, on sighting the gallant men of the Corps at the scene, took to their heels when the were about perfecting their evil act of economic sabotage.
According to him, the corps also drafted its Anti-Vandal Unit to render back up aid to the operatives at the scene, should there be reprisal attacks.
