Police Arrest 2 Over Illegal Petrol Dump

The police in Lagos State, South West Nigeria, have arrested two persons in  connection with the discovery of about 150 illegal petrol wells in Ilashe, a  riverine area in Ojo local government.

A pipeline belonging to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, passing  through the area has also been vandalised.

Officers from the Lagos Task Force on Environment and Special Offences Unit at  Alausa  who stormed the community on Tuesday said that over 50,000 litres of fuel  were siphoned into the illegal wells in the last one week.  Many suspects have been  arrested, the police said.

P.M.NEWS learnt that the community leader, Waidu Aruno has fled the area along with  many other residents to avoid being questioned by security agencies.

Bayo Suilaiman, the Chairman of the unit, said the community is sitting on a time  bomb which can explode at any moment.

“What is happening in this community is very alarming and it calls for concern,” he  said.

“You can see that the villagers have dug wells where they siphon refined fuel into  and then later sell to people. The Commissioner of Police, Marvel Akpoyibo, got a  petition about the activities of the vandals and then directed us to check out what  is happening. We came on a fact-finding mission on Tuesday and we made some  discoveries that this illegal activity is going on here.

Over hundred of wells were dug by these vandals and you can see the vast land where  they dug the wells even down to the Atlantic Ocean. Some of the wells even have  padlocks to show you that individuals own these wells and they do not want anybody  to tamper with them. We arrested two suspects, a man and a woman. The woman’s shrine  was used to store the siphoned fuel in 50-litre jerrycans and the man was arrested  at the spot.”

P.M.NEWS learnt that  the suspects are a 50 years old woman, Mrs. Wanosi Gbelibi and  27  years old mechanic, Lateef Rafiu.

Our correspondent observed that not too far from where the illegal oil bunkering has  been going on for years, is a police post.

Sulaiman said that the suspects would be taken to court soon.

—Lucky Lawal