Vandals channel pipes to their homes, fetch petrol like water in Takwa-Bay Island 

The high rate of bunkery and vandalization of PMS pipes laid across coast of Ogun to Lagos, there was an eviction of some dweller residing long the pipeline route. The eviction covered a stretch of about 72km from Atlas Cove, Lagos to Mosimi in Ogun State followed discoveries of manholes and well-laid pipes scattered across these islands. The eviction and demolition were carried out by joint task force of Navy, police, Nigeria Army, Civil defence with the Codename OPERATION KUROMBE

The areas included Old Akinbo; Aditu; Phase Two; Ikate; Upstairs; Virgin Island; White House; Akaraba; Tarkwa Bay and Idimangoro among others. They are where the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) were siphoned by criminals and syndicates from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC) System 2B into jerricans loaded into waiting boats for evacuation to neighbouring countries.

The criminals went as far connecting pipes to the pipeline and channelled them to their respective homes. From their homes, they had specific taps where they fetched fuel from as if they were fetching water. They then would load the jerrycans filled with fuel to black markets and sell.

“This act has been ongoing for years. But eventually, the government has finally decided to arrest the situation after another act of vandalism recently discovered. Those sympathetic towards these people need to declare their interest.

Although, this has not gone unnoticed by the civil society organization who have accused the government of displacing thousands of dwellers living in those areas, most especially January 24 when the operation moved into Tarkwa Bay Island displacing over 10,000 dwellers.

The groups had argued that the victims were rendered homeless without prior notice and provision for alternatives; allegations the government described as unfounded.

According to the security operatives, the dwellers were given three-month notice and some of them were allowed several hours to pack their belongings at the expiration of the deadline at 2 pm on January 21.

While some of the residents relocated to Ikorodu and Apapa, others sought shelter from neighbouring islands like Manager, Sam Okoji and New Village and there were those who resorted to sleeping in their fishing boats.

Source: The Nation