There was an explosion at the weekend at Alapata, Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The explosion, which was caused by pipeline vandals, occurred on
Saturday night, forcing residents of the agrarian community to abandon
their homes.
The valve pit used by the vandals was still burning as at press time
yesterday, with thick smoke covering the area. The hose used by the
vandals was found burnt at the Valve Pit.
Men of the anti-vandalism squad of the Nigeria Security and Civil
Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Police, Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC) and the State Security Service (SSS) visited the
scene yesterday.
An eyewitness said nobody was killed.
A farmer, Alhaji Fatai Ayilara, told reporters that security
operatives were alerted when strange movement was noticed around the pit
last Wednesday.
Ayilara said: “We noticed strange movements around this area on
Wednesday and informed security agents. About eight of them came around
and we went round together. On Friday, when I closed from work, I
observed that they had tampered with the valve pit. I went round and
realised the padlock was intact. There was no damage to the iron there
too. I thought the footprints I saw on the bush path were those of the
security men.
“On Saturday morning around 10am, I heard noise from the pit hole and
told some members of the community to alert security men. However,
before we got back, fuel had already started gushing out and spreading
into farmlands, a stream and adjourning areas.
“We informed security men and I left. I was later informed that the
place caught fire. You can see the burnt hose they used by the pit. We
need a bridge here. If a road is built here, people will ply the route
and it will reduce the activities of vandals.”
The Chairman of the Ido Local Government Area, Prof. Adeniyi
Olowofela, urged NNPC to fund a joint security patrol of pipelines in
the area.
Olowofela, who spoke with reporters on the scene of the explosion, said an insider was among the vandals.
He urged the National Assembly to set aside a special fund for communities vulnerable to pipeline vandalism.
Olowofela said: “The place gutted fire but you must agree with me
that those doing this must have some inside knowledge of how to do the
job. I told the General Manager of NNPC that we need to look for a way
of jointly funding a team to patrol NNPC pipelines in the council. It
will be a joint effort between the community, NNPC and the council.”
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