Bayelsa outfit blames pipeline explosion on vandals

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

The Bayelsa state security outfit, Izon-Ibe Security Company Limited has blamed the April 20, 2015 fire incident on the 20″ Kolo Creek-Rumuekpe (TNP) trunk line at Oruma in Ogbia local government area of Bayelsa State on sabotage.

Managing Director of Izon-Ibe Security Company Limited, Chief James Jephthah in a statement warned that all those involved in the heinous act would be fished out and made to face the full wrath of the law.

He said though the number of surveillance operatives in the company’s employ was inadequate due to the vast area of coverage, it has deployed personnel to cover flash points and strategic locations for the purpose of securing pipelines and other oil and gas facilities.

The statement reads in part, “In the early hours of Monday, 20th of April 2015, there was a report of fire incidence on the 20” Kolo Creek to Remuekpe (TNP) trunk line at Oruma in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa state.

“This location forms part of our coverage area so we started investigations immediately.

“The Izon-Ibe security company deployed staff (personnel and resources) to the field, ‎with particular reference to finding the remote and immediate course of the incident. On location, we discovered that it was an act of sabotage carried out by unknown persons

He complained of the challenges of inadequate manpower as the present 1,500 personnel cannot adequately cover every inch of the vast areas of Ogbia, Nembe, Brass and Yenagoa Local Government Areas of Bayelsa State.

He said that what the security outfit set up by the Bayelsa State government to check activities of vandals have done in the mean time is to deploy men to cover strategic flash points within the areas covered in the scope of operations of the various communities.

The company considers it expedient to deploy personnel to ‘flash points’ ‎and ‘strategic locations’ for the purpose of securing pipelines and other oil and gas facilities.

Chief Jephthah explained the deployments took into consideration because of the need for regular patrols and other surveillance activities critical to the successful operation of the Izon-ibe Security company.

The company said that despite that the leakage was carried out by vandals Shell Petroleum Development Company,SPDC,, had since carried out repair work on the affected area but vowed to fish out perpetrators.