Mr Luke Anele, the Managing Director of Nigerian Pipelines Storage Company (NPSC), has advised persons involved in vandalism on oil pipelines and stealing of petroleum products to desist from such acts.
Anele made the call in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria, in Abuja on Wednesday.
He said that in February, two trucks loaded with products were arrested at the pipeline right of way and handed over to Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.
“They have the statutory right to arrest and prosecute pipeline vandals.
“We are collaborating with them to ensure that those arrested are prosecuted.
“They are happy that we have handed over those and others , so, what we will continue to do is to give them support, so we get conviction,” he added.
Commenting on the case of an alleged pipeline kingpin, Shaibu Ogunmola, arrested by Nigerian Navy in January, Anele said the suspect had yet to be prosecuted.
The Nigerian Navy under operation Awase in January arrested Ogunmola over alleged vandalism on the oil pipeline along Atlas Cove.
“Our security is following up on that, you know that the judicial system is not a straight forward thing, they have not appeared in court yet from the information we got.
“We are trying to tie up the issues in order to get the man prosecuted.
“Our security unit has been following up on that, very soon, we will get update because what we want to do is to get our own lawyers to join to have what is called watching brief, so that we get the desired result,” he said (NAN)
