23 July 2015, Lagos – For the umpteenth time, another explosion Wednesday was recorded at one of the pipelines of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) at the Arepo area of Ogun State and purportedly killed several pipeline vandals.
The incident, which is merely one in a series of acts of pipeline vandalism at the Arepo area, occurred after some vandals exchanged gunfire.
The vandals, who were said to be from opposing camps, had engaged in a gun duel in a show of supremacy over who should control the pipeline and siphon products illegally.
THISDAY gathered from sources that one of the camps had first stormed the pipeline in order to tamper with the valves and then siphon products to their waiting kegs.
In the process of milking their illegally gotten product, the other camp came over too to perpetrate the same act, but met the first group.
A supremacy tussle over who should vacate the pipeline area for the other ensued and when dialogue couldn’t solve the problem, they resorted to violence.
THISDAY also gathered that from fisticuffs, the fracas quickly degenerated to a gun duel between the two factions.
It was during the gun duel that a bullet reportedly hit the pipeline and the NNPC pipeline exploded.
– This Day