The leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation and security agencies entrusted with the
responsibility of protecting the nation’s pipeline have been
accused of turning a blind eye as hoodlums help themselves
to the nation’s oil at Arepo, a community in Ogun State.
SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that for several years, a group of
criminals have vandalised the NNPC pipeline that pumps
imported petroleum products from the Atlas Cove in Lagos,
to Mosimi Depot, Sagamu, Ogun State
The depot in Mosimi plays the crucial responsibility of
distributing refined petroleum products to the cities of the
South-West.
It was gathered that the hoodlums had vandalised the
pipeline in the creeks of Arepo in such a way that whenever
the Petroleum Products Marketing Company, a subsidiary of
the NNPC pumped refined products, they (the hoodlums)
would also get it from the broken portions of the pipeline in
the creeks.
There are yet to be verified reports of complicity between
the criminals, some security operatives and even officials of
the PPMC in the thriving criminality against Nigeria.
It was gathered that PPMC officials aided the vandals with
privileged information regarding the time the products would
be pumped.
Investigations revealed that the PPMC pump fuel from the
Atlas Cove in Lagos to Mosimi twice every week.
It was also learnt that the NNPC could not stop the pumping
of the products even with a consciousness of the
perforations on the critical national asset because doing
such could lead to petroleum scarcity.
An oil worker, who confided in one of our correspondents,
said the NNPC might have been frustrated after the killing of
three of its workers at Arepo in 2012.
The source said the criminals, perpetrating the action, might
have become emboldened by the alleged connivance of the
security personnel.
Last week, the vandals shot and killed four policemen for
arresting four petroleum tankers that were used to
perpetrate the crime.
The source said, “You can’t imagine that this is happening
in Nigeria. This cannot be allowed to happen in any civilized
clime.
“We are in a country where the new government is talking
about recovering stolen funds yet we allow a set of
hoodlums to run riot against the country’s economy.
“You know what those vandals at Arepo are doing, they
went to the creek, vandalized the pipeline that pumps fuel
from Atlas cove to Mosimi so that whenever the PPMC
pumps fuel, they are also getting it. It would be pouring like
a running tap in such a way that whenever they are done
with collection, they simply allow the fuel to fall into the
creek.
“And because the level of fuel in the creek has become very
high, the fuel has risen to knee level. What some of them do
is to use plastic buckets to scoop the fuel which they supply
to buyers who get it from them at a ridiculously low price.
“In fact, if not for the issue of conspiracy, how come that
the security personnel have not tracked down the tankers,
the drivers and the owners to stop this crime? If the vandals
are hiding in the creeks, are they beyond the reach of
Nigeria and are the tankers also hiding in the creeks?”
However, the source could not put a figure to the amount of
money being lost by the country to the brazen criminality
being committed against the country by the hoodlums over
the years.
When contacted, the NNPC debunked statements that
products especially Premium Motor Spirit pumped from
Atlas Cove to Mosimi was leaking in Arepo, stressing that
PPMC officials had not been found culpable for the leaks.
The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division,
NNPC, Mr. Ohi Alegbe, told one of our correspondents that
after extensive investigations, it was discovered that it was
not true.
In a text message to one of our correspondents, Alagbe
said, “It is not true. It was investigated extensively on
Thursday when you initially sent the text. PPMC personnel
that are on the ground in Arepo to Mosimi axis said there
was no truth to the claim.”
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Public
Relations Officer, Emmanuel Okeh, also denied that the
corps personnel were colluding with saboteurs at Arepo,
noting that the operatives had come under attacks in the
area many times over their “uncompromising stand” against
vandalism.
Photo: pipeline vandals
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