At least five policemen have been declared missing after a shootout between security operatives and oil thieves at Arepo, Ogun State, yesterday morning.
At the end of the violent exchange, four out of the police who engaged the pipeline vandals were sighted, while five remained unaccounted for.
The police officers had attempted to prevent the vandals from scooping fuel from a NNPC pipeline.
Confirming the incident, the South West Zonal spokesperson of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Mr. Ibrahim Farinloye, said the agency was alerted and subsequently informed NNPC on the development.
He said: “There was a pipeline explosion early this morning. Exchange of gunfire between the pipeline security team and vandals started yesterday, but got to the peak by midnight,”
“The Inspector General of Police entered into an agreement with the NNPC to be manning the pipeline in the area, unfortunately less than five meters to the flash point which has been the focus of activities for the past two years, vandals came yesterday and attacked them and they exchanged gunfire.”
Arepo was the scene of the killing of three NNPC officials by vandals in 2012.