Navy intercepts pipeline vandals

June 23, 2016 3:53 AM

He said smuggling activities had reduced drastically in Badagry, adding that the navy was ready to fight pipeline vandalism and oil theft to an end.

Nigeria has lost a minimum of N8.04 billion since January, to the incessant vandalism of the country’s gas pipelines, according to the Nigerian Gas Company, NGC, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.

The Nigerian Navy on Wednesday said it had impounded a wooden boat laden with 90 jerry cans of stolen petrol from suspected pipeline vandals at the Pashe creek in Badagry area of Lagos State.

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The Commander, Forward Operating Base of the Navy in Badagry, Capt. Simon Dogo, told journalists in Lagos that the seizure was made after the vandals abandoned the boat on sighting a naval team and fled.

``My patrol teams went on patrol at Pashe creek when they saw perpetrators trying to load the petroleum products in a boat for transfer to Benin Republic.

``The perpetrators, on sighting the naval team, jumped into water and fled. We intercepted the boat and we discovered that 90 of over 200 of the jerry cans had been filled with petrol,'' he said.

Dogo said that the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Adm. Ibok Ibas had zero tolerance for economic sabotage and the navy was carrying out his directives in that direction.

The commander warned perpetrators of illegal acts to seek legitimate means of livelihood or face the wrath of the law.