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Fire
men attempt to put water on flames at a burning village on the distant
outskirts of Lagos, following a pipeline explosion. Photo: AP (Not Ijeododo explosion)
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The
Baale of Ijeododo Community in Lagos State, Alhaji Tajudeen Subair-Ododo, on
Friday urged the Federal Government to beef up security around its
pipelines in the community.
Subair-Ododo made
the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in
Lagos, against the backdrop of a pipeline explosion that occurred in the
community on Thursday night.
NAN
reports that another pipeline explosion occurred around 9.45 p.m. on Thursday,
while the Nigerian National Petroleum Community (NNPC) confirmed that the
product lines had been switched off, to reduce fire pressure.
According
to him, the only way to curb incessant pipeline vandalism around the community
is when government beefs up security to monitor the pipeline network on a
24-hour, round-the-clock, basis.
The
traditional ruler said that oftentimes, vandals used the opportunity of
the absence of any security presence to perpetuate illegality in the area.
He
said that the explosion was caused by the activities of pipeline vandals, who
have continuously vandalized the pipelines in the community.
However,
the spokesman of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr Ibrahim
Farinloye, confirmed the explosion was caused by vandals.
He
said that the vandals broke into the pipeline to scoop some
products around 9:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Farinloye
said that no causality was recorded, adding that the agency would be
visiting the scene on Friday to ascertain the level of damage from the
explosion.
He
said that the suspected vandals encroached into the NNPC’s Right Of Way
(ROW) and Safety Unit, but that fire fighters were trying to stop the
inferno.
Meanwhile
supply of products has been shut down.
“NNPC
authorities have switched off the valves to stop further supply to the
system and to suffocate the fire, to enable fire fighters battle the fire.
NAN
reports that NNPC had recorded over 775 breakage points on the pipeline
since August 2012.
Records
from the NNPC showed that between Atlas Cove and the Mosimi Depot, a total
of 182 breakage points had been recorded.
A
total of 421 rupture points have been recorded between the Mosimi
depot and the Ibadan depot, while the Mosimi to Ore stretch has recorded
50 vandalised points.
Also, the Ibadan/Ilorin
stretch of the pipeline has recorded a total of 122 breakage points.
(NAN)
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