No fewer than 15 persons have been confirmed dead and more than 25 suffering various degrees of burns from fire said to have resulted from an alleged vandalism of pipelines at Umueke village in Abia state.
Commissioner for Petroleum and Solid Minerals Development, Chief Don Ubani, who confirmed the incident, which he said occurred on September 23, expressed surprise that people could still break pipelines despite several warnings against such acts.
Ubani said that hospitals treating the injured vandals have an obligation to report them to law enforcement agencies warning that traditional rulers in whose domains incidents of vandalism occured, "should be prepared to identify such hoodlums for appropriate actions by the government or face the consequences of nonchalance".
LEADERSHIP learnt that the state governor, Chief Theodore Orji, had on receiving the information about the fire incident, sent his deputy, Sir Emeka Ananaba, to the area to assess the level of damage.
He expressed regrets over the loss of lives, saying that pipeline vandalism was a very costly venture which people should desist from engaging in to save their lives.The deputy governor said that it was high time people stopped having that notion that they could live on criminal activities such as pipeline vandalism, and added that those with criminal tendencies should have a rethink and engage in legitimate means of livelihood.
According to him, incidents of pipeline vandalism have become a source of worry to the state government with its attendant loss of human lives and revenue accruing to the federal government, and pointed out that the state government has been supporting the security agencies with logistics to fight the menace.
Ananaba wondered why people should still engage in pipe line vandalism even with stories of dire consequences that people have faced while scooping fuel from broken pipeline in several places across the nation. He advised parents to restrain their children and wards to refrain from criminal activities.
Monday 1 October 2012
NIGERIAN PIPELINE BLAST 15 FEARD DEAD IN ABIA STATE AS 25 SUFFERS VARIOUS BURNS
No fewer than 15 persons have been confirmed dead and more than 25 suffering various degrees of burns from fire said to have resulted from an alleged vandalism of pipelines at Umueke village in Abia state.
Commissioner for Petroleum and Solid Minerals Development, Chief Don Ubani, who confirmed the incident, which he said occurred on September 23, expressed surprise that people could still break pipelines despite several warnings against such acts.
Ubani said that hospitals treating the injured vandals have an obligation to report them to law enforcement agencies warning that traditional rulers in whose domains incidents of vandalism occured, "should be prepared to identify such hoodlums for appropriate actions by the government or face the consequences of nonchalance".
LEADERSHIP learnt that the state governor, Chief Theodore Orji, had on receiving the information about the fire incident, sent his deputy, Sir Emeka Ananaba, to the area to assess the level of damage.
He expressed regrets over the loss of lives, saying that pipeline vandalism was a very costly venture which people should desist from engaging in to save their lives.The deputy governor said that it was high time people stopped having that notion that they could live on criminal activities such as pipeline vandalism, and added that those with criminal tendencies should have a rethink and engage in legitimate means of livelihood.
According to him, incidents of pipeline vandalism have become a source of worry to the state government with its attendant loss of human lives and revenue accruing to the federal government, and pointed out that the state government has been supporting the security agencies with logistics to fight the menace.
Ananaba wondered why people should still engage in pipe line vandalism even with stories of dire consequences that people have faced while scooping fuel from broken pipeline in several places across the nation. He advised parents to restrain their children and wards to refrain from criminal activities.
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