Confession of pipeline vandals

 

• ‘Why we set NNPC facilities ablaze’

Two of the four suspected vandals arrested in connection with Wednesday’s fire at Arepo have given insight into the wilful damage of the pipeline of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) that passed through the area. Wale Onana and Owekeware Olusor Ekperemor told Daily Sun that the pipeline was set ablaze on the order of their leader simply identified as Igbekorowa, in a bid to frustrate the NNPC’s plan to erect a surveillance platform in the area.
Onana and Ekperemor were arrested along with Ebimiru Yeyha and Truce Iroju by members of the Special Task Force on Anti-Pipeline Vandalism Unit, inaugurated by Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Abubakar. Speaking with Daily Sun at the police station, Onana confessed that they simply obeyed the orders of one of their leaders known as Igbekorowa.
“We learnt that NNPC was mounting a platform close to the creeks and that will be bad business for us. It was agreed that we should try and stop them pending the time we must have got enough supply that we can manage before another spot is discovered.
“On January 22, we sneaked in through the river at about 12a.m and fetched few gallons of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and while we were leaving, Yukun (another leader) lit a cigarette and threw it at the ruptured part of the pipeline and the fire started again. “On our way back, Igbekorowa asked us to move ahead of him so that he and Yukun would follow us behind. Unknown to us, policemen were hiding in the bush and arrested us.”
Igbekorowa, as explained by Wale, was one of the notorious vandals, who was also among the suspected vandals that murdered some staffer of NNPC last year. Igbekorowa and another vandal, popularly known as Togo had for long been on the wanted list of the police. When asked of the whereabouts of Togo, Onana said: “He was badly burnt during the last fire incident but was lucky to escape. His girlfriend quickly smuggled him to Ondo State where he is receiving treatment. We were told that he is still alive but nobody knows where exactly he is hiding. We were only obeying instructions because if you don’t obey, Togo will order your execution,” he said.
Another suspect, Owekeware, claimed that he never knew that they were going to the spot to cause another fire incident. He said: “Shortly after the first fire outbreak, it was agreed that we should stay away from that spot and look for another area. It was a surprise to me when Igbekorowa called and asked me to meet him at the waterside.
He convinced me to join them. After the operation and when we were about leaving, Yukun threw a cigarette to the spot after we were safe from the fire. “I was shocked but they explained that NNPC wants to mount a permanent security post in that area. They said once the fire is on, those engineers would not be able to erect any structure because of the heat. I never knew that it was their plan to set us up while they escaped.”
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Friday Ibadin, who is in charge of the task force, also gave insight into how the suspected vandals were arrested by his men, immediately after the explosion, which he said started at about 4.30am.
“Shortly after the explosion, policemen led by Sector Commander, Lagos, DSP Onaghise Osayande, cordoned off the area while they awaited the arrival of fire fighters to put off the fire. They extended their search to Konu and Majidun area which were other routes to Arepo spot. Some vandals were spotted and ambushed while others who were coming behind them fled. “What they did is a wasted effort. They want to ensure that the plan to build a platform that can assist the police to have good coverage of the area is frustrated.
The fire has been put off and NNPC would soon commence flow of PMS through that line while the construction of the platform continues,” Ibadin stated. On January 13, a fire outbreak was recorded at the Arepo axis of the NNPC pipeline, where no fewer than 30 unidentified persons were burnt to death while scooping fuel from a ruptured pipeline.