1st February, 2024
By Peter Okolie
Five vandals were burnt beyond recognition in an explosion of oil pipeline in the Obitti community of Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area (LGA) of Imo on Tuesday, the state police command has confirmed.
A source said the vandals had stormed the Obitti Rubber Estate in the area with an articulated vehicle, dug through to an oil pipeline that passed through the area and connected their long pipe to their tanker to steal oil before the sudden explosion.
“I cannot say exactly what caused the explosion but I know and from what I saw, many people died, and many others, who narrowly escaped the explosion, sustained various degrees of injuries.
“The fire that raged for hours burnt the tanker and also affected our farm produce worth millions of naira,” the source said.
The spokesperson for Imo Police, ASP Henry Okoye, who confirmed the incident said the explosion occurred on Tuesday.
Okoye said the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Aboki Danjuma, had already set up a team to unravel the immediate cause of the incident and arrest fleeing culprits.
“Yes, the incident happened yesterday (Tuesday).
“Five vandals were burnt beyond recognition and we are currently investigating it in collaboration with our sister security agencies to unravel the identities of those behind the economic sabotage.
“They went for their normal pipeline vandalism when the incident occurred.
“Our goal is to make sure that similar vandalism does not occur in the future,” the police spokesman, said.
In April 2022, at least 100 people lost their lives in a similar explosion that occurred at an illegal oil refining site in Ohaji/Egbema area of the state.
On May 4, same year, two persons also died when a bomb exploded at an oil facility – Addax Petroleum Development Nigeria Ltd., located in Izombe, Oguta Local Government Area of the state.
However, the incident was a suspected bomb attack on the oil facility.
(NAN)