This Day (Lagos)

May 13, 2006 Posted to the web May 13, 2006

Eugene Agha, Yemi Akinsuyi And Patricia Ubaka Lagos

Tragedy struck yesterday in Inagbe village, a riverine community in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State when no fewer than 150 people were burnt to death by fire caused by the activities of pipeline vandals.

The police said that most of the victims were those who besieged the area purposely to scoop fuel from an exposed Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Pipeline, which runs from Atlas Cove in Lagos to Mosemi in Ogun State.

Scores of roasted bodies were seen being conveyed to the riverbank for counting by a combine team of the police, Red Cross, local government health workers and local fishermen.

Though nobody could give an accurate account of how the incident occurred, some fishermen alleged that the fire may have started as a result of a spark in the equipment used by the vandals to drill hole into the pipe.

THISDAY check on pipeline fire in the area revealed that the vandals were actually working in concert with the villagers to siphon petroleum products from the exposed NNPC pipes buried underground, but later exposed by erosion.

There were indications that the vandals funnel fuel tapped from the pipeline into 50-litre plastic kegs.

A walk through the village also revealed an assortment of tools used in the illegal act. A tall column of thick black smoke and occasional tongues of flame from the fire was allegedly spotted in the area by people from Ilado and Tomaro, two riverine communities in the same Local Government Area.

Fishermen were the first rescuers to reach Inagbe village at about 9.30am, where the explosion took place. But by noon yesterday they had taken many bodies out of the water and others scattered around the area by the force of the fire. Police, Red Cross officials and Local Government Health Workers joined them later, to bring out yet more dead victims.

The local hands claimed that it was exactly the same thing that started the fire in Imore sometime in 2004, which claimed about 50 lives.

At the scene scores of dead bodies were seen littering the bank of the river while some others were floating on the surface of the river. Even though the police put the number of dead at about 150, the fishermen alleged that the casualty rate could be as high as 200 to 300 since both the boats, which they came in and their equipment got burnt beyond recognition.

The Inagbe pipeline fire is the fourth of such incidents in the past three years in Lagos State. Year 2002 witnessed the Ejigbo pipeline fire, the Atlas Cove pipeline fire blazed in 2003.

Yesterday's fire incident, which police said started around 2am, was allegedly noticed at about 10am by fishermen plying the area.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Emmanuel Adebayo, who gave on the spot assessment of the matter told journalists that all the victims were completely burnt beyond recognition.

According to him, a total of about 70 plastic Jerry cans were also recovered from the scene.

Though he agreed that it was too early to assess the extent of damage and the number of casualty, he, however, added that a large number of the victims must have been submerged in the water.

"When we got to the site, there were no witnesses, but some people said they saw thick cloud of smoke from the area," he said.

He also revealed that part of the things recovered from the scene were implements of vandalisation - pliers hose and nuts - but that the exhibits were taking away by officials of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) who arrived the place earlier than others with some staff of NTA.

He said the incident was an outright vandalisation, but wondered why the place was left on guarded, since there were traces of patrol vehicles on the sand dome.

Group General Manager Public Affairs, NNPC, Dr. Levi Ajuonuma while describing the incident as regrettable, called on communities where these pipeline pass to respect its right of way.

"The fire incident was highly regrettable. It is an unfortunate happening most especially when NNPC has been appealing to people to desist from such a barbaric act. There is no time such scooping of NNPC product would take place that it would not result in disaster.

"That is why I am reiterating the NNPC's call for the respect of the pipeline. They should desist from vandalising the NNPC pipeline. We are appealing to community leaders to help us beg their subjects to desist from vandalising our pipeline, because it will end in disaster, not only to the economy of the country, but in the lives and existence of such communities," Ajuonuma said.

He assured Lagosians and its environs that the incident would not affect the supply of fuel in the city as he said fuel tankers were loading products to filling stations for sale.

"The good news is that this fire incident would not deter the supply of products across the city. As I'm talking to you, fuel tankers were already loading products to filling stations for sale. But please tell Nigerians to desist from this barbaric act of vandalising NNPC pipeline for the benefit of us all," he pleaded.

On the number of those who lost their lives in the pipeline inferno, the NNPC spokesperson said there was no one to count the number of the corpses, but approximated the number of the victims to be between 100 and 200.

He also spoke of the NNPC's readiness to cover the entire pipeline exposed either by erosion or other means to avoid falling prey to vandals.

"We are in the process of covering all our pipeline exposure of pipeline is not a good reason for anyone to vandalise it. The covering work is in progress and we are working very hard to ensure that none of our pipeline is exposed. Originally, we bury all our pipeline but because of erosion and human encroachment they are exposed," he said.

Also speaking, spokesman of Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Engr. Dele Johnson urged the Federal Government to promulgate a law against pipeline vandalisation to avoid future occurrence.

Describing the incident as "unfortunate but avoidable," Johnson said if there is a punitive law against vandalisation in the country, there would be a drastic reduction in the criminal act.

"The Federal Government should come up with a strong law prohibiting vandals from their unlawful act. Once this is put in place, there would be a drastic reduction in the dastardly act. Both government and the citizenry will stand to benefit immensely from it," he said.

One of the early callers at the site of the burnt pipeline, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 2 Headquarters, Mr. Adedayo Adeoye put the figure of the casualties at between 100 and 200.

Adeoye disclosed that when the police got to the venue of the incident, there was no one to arrest adding that even if there was a survivor, the person would have gone underground to avoid being arrested by security operatives, whom he said had been parading the area since the incident.

He promised more policing of riverine areas of the zone and its waterways to avoid future occurrence.

Meanwhile, the AIG has said no one has been arrested in connection with the incident, but promised police readiness to protect government and individual properties at all times.

He appealed to the residents of Inagbe and Tomoro to remain calm while investigation into the inferno lasted and also called on them to feel free to give out information to the police to aid their investigation.

Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Femi Pedro who arrived the scene at about 5pm charged the Lagos State Police boss, Adebayo, to ensure that the police get to the root of the matter.

He promised to send enough polythene bags, stretchers, and other sanitary materials to the local government health workers so that the deceased could be given what he described as "befitting burial."

The Deputy Governor said that it was disheartening, however, to note that these die-hard Nigerians do not learn from experience, nor do they take a cue from the fate that often befalls pipeline vandals.

According to him, these economic saboteurs not only endanger themselves but the community and the environment as well.

"The State Government has undertaken many enlightenment campaigns on the social dangers and economic implications of siphoning fuel from pipelines, but such appeals often fall on deaf ears. The time has, therefore, come for government to adopt a new approach to tackling pipeline vandalisation," he added.

Meanwhile, President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday sent a condolence message to the families of those who lost their lives in the pipeline explosion.

In a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mrs. Oluremi Oyo, Obasanjo said that he received the message of the explosion with shock but expressed concern that people should stay away from petroleum pipelines across the country to avert similar incident.

Obasanjo is presently in Bali, Indonesia t where he is attending a Developing Countries (D-8) Summit,.

Submitted on 05/14/2006

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Reference: allafrica.com/stories 13052006

Copyright © 2006 DarwinAwards.com

James said:
Definitely Toss: Other
This article clinches it for me. I rejected this story several times, but the fact that the section of pipeline in question was unguarded lays at least SOME of the blame on the oil company. If a river of gold ran unguarded through a dismal slum, what would YOU expect the poor denizens to do? Again, desperation and not stupidity (though ignorance of danger WAS present) is what drove these people to steal in the first place.

Jorge said:
Definitely Toss: Repeat

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