Suspected pipeline vandals attacked rescue operators at the ongoing effort to finally put out the inferno caused by pipeline vandals at the Arepo village area of Ogun State on Friday afternoon.
The fire caused by the pipeline explosion began on Wednesday night around 10pm and, since then, the Federal Fire Service and the Ogun State Fire Service along with the National Emergency Management Authority, NEMA, have been busy trying to extinguish the fire and minimize the loss at the swampy area.
Our correspondent gathered that over 20 personnel from the Federal and State fire service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NEMA operatives and NNPC officials including some journalists were at the site on four canoes when vandals and militants suddenly emerged from the waters and attacked the officials. It took the courageous effort of the amphibious unit of the Nigerian Navy to withstand the militants.
According to the information officer of NEMA, Ibrahim Farinoye, who was just leaving the site, the vandals who apparently wanted to recover their equipment, scared them away but with the help of the Navy they were able to gain access to the site and hopefully by tomorrow the fire would be finally put out.
“We are on course with the operation and I can tell you that there was no casualty from the attack. The vandals who left their equipment scared us off but everything is under control now with the intervention of the Nigerian Navy’s amphibious unit,” he said.
The NEMA official added, “With the effort of all agencies, we hope that the fire would be put out tomorrow.”
Source: Leadership