Shoot-out in Lagos as Navy Takes on Pipeline Vandals

 

 

There was shoot-out between Naval personnel and vandals at Ilado-Odo/Inagbe beach in Idi-Mangoro area of Lagos, weekend. It lasted for over an hour.

 

The Naval personnel had stormed the island, based on intelligence that vandals were  operating an illegal fuel depot in the area to siphon petroleum products from Atlas Cove in Lagos, which supplies products to Mosimi in Ogun State and Ejigbo depot in Lagos.

 

Vanguard gathered that as soon as the vandals sighted the Naval personnel drawn from NNS Beecroft, Apapa, they opened fire on them. The Naval personnel responded, leading to fire fight for over an hour.

 

The superior fire power of the Navy, it was learned, caused the vandals to flee, leaving behind over 1,350 jerry cans filled with petrol, charms and other materials used for the illegal activities. When journalists visited the island weekend, a hole dug along the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, pipeline passage was seen at Phase 2 of the Island. Inside the hole was a valve where a hose was affixed, ostensibly to divert petroleum products from Atlas Cove.

 

There were also over 30,000 empty jerry cans with different inscriptions, such as ANA, ABA, MNA, LR, UPV, BH, OBO, etc to indicate their respective owners. There were traces of vehicle tyres in the sand, which indicated movement to Badagry and Lagos Anchorage ends of the Island. Oil spillage was also discovered on the backward water. Villagers in the community were seen peeping from their huts when they sighted naval personnel and journalists.

 

At  Phase 1 of the Island, there were over 50 storage barns where  jerrycans filled with  siphoned petroleum products were kept, even as empty jerrycans were also heaped in front of the barns and inside the bush.

 

Information gathered during the visit revealed that the products were usually moved out of the island in vehicles at night. Most of the villagers approached refused to speak, apparently out of fear of being attacked by the vandals after the exit of the visitors.

 

However, one of them who spoke on the condition of strict anonymity, revealed that over 2,000 jerrycans are moved out of the island daily.

 

He disclosed that 25-litre jerrycans were usually packed inside a sack and taken in vehicles towards Badagry. The villager, who spoke in pidgin, said the practice had been going on for a long time.