19th September, 2015
Eromosele Ebhomele
The representative of Epe Constituency 2 at the Lagos State House of Assembly, Segun Olulade, has condemned the killing of at least 10 operatives of the Department of State Security, DSS, by suspected pipeline vandals in Ikorodu area of the state.
Olulade, while reacting to the sad incident, which occurred on Tuesday evening, described the act as gruesome and wicked, noting that the vandals are gradually becoming a “threat to the state.”
According to media reports, the vandals engaged the DSS operatives, who came to the area after being hinted that the vandals were siphoning fuel from a broken pipe of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
Report also has it that Tuesday’s incident, which occurred at about 8 p.m, was the second in two weeks.
The vandals allegedly attacked four policemen attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, and Owutu Police Division on 30 August, 2015 in which three of the policemen lost their lives while one was critically injured.
Olulade said the activities of the pipeline vandals are beginning to pose great dangers to the lives of Nigerians, especially those residing in areas where petroleum pipelines are sited.
He called on the relevant security agencies and the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, to rise up to the occasion and ensure the commencement of full investigation into the killing of the security operatives and the policemen who were killed last month.
“The police and other relevant security agencies must swing into action by commencing investigation into these recent killings and those that have happened before now as a result of the activities of these hoodlums involved in bunkering.
“However, in carrying out these investigations, the security agencies must be very careful and ensure that innocent residents are not harassed or victmised.
“Also, residents of these areas where this illegal activity is taking place must ensure that they cooperate with the police and provide necessary information that would help in apprehending these perpetrators,” Olulade stated while commiserating with the DSS over the loss of their men.
He prayed that God Almighty would grant the bereaved families the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.