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 Daily Independent Online.
* Friday, August 13, 2004.
Illegal bunkering activities
rise in Lagos
By Victor Ebimomi
reporter, Lagos
Illegal bunkering activities
conducted at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipeline
points in creek villages in
Lagos are now on the rise, few months after seven people were roasted by
fire during such illegal activities in the state.
Investigations by Daily
Independent showed that the syndicates who specialise in vandalising
the pipelines have now organised themselves in such a way that the
illicit business now takes place without hindrance from security agents,
host communities or any other parties. One of such arrangements, it was
learnt is the compulsory registration by would-be partakers in the
illegal business. This means that before any buyer can get the product
from them, he has to register with a specific amount of money after which
he would then be assigned a “turn”-- which means the day he has to come
to get the products------ unlike what obtained before where anybody could
just organize a boat, equip himself with money or vandalisation equipment
and went to get the product with alleged connivance of security agents.
The new arrangement it was
learnt is meant to bring a sense of orderliness into the criminal
activities following incessant fire disasters at the pipeline points
where the illicit business is being done. It was equally gathered that
the arrangement had inputs from security operatives who allegedly connive
with the vandals in their activities. With the new arrangements, it was
further learnt that some villagers who were before now opposed to the
illegal trade have now come together because of the rising financial
gains while money-bags now zero-in on the opportunity offered by the new
arrangement to intensify the bunkering business.
The product, which is usually
transported with big wooden boats, constructed for that purpose, is
either moved out of the state in the boat or “trucked” to its final
destination through tankers. The remnants would then be sold to hawkers
who would resell them in 50-litre kegs.
Because of the rise in the
bunkering activities, it is now a common sight to see thousands of kegs
as well as tens of wooden boats loaded with surface tanks (especially
GeePee tank) floating at the banks of river in the villages along creek
area of the state.
But to stem the tide of the
criminal activities, in past weeks, it was learnt that men from the State
Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Lagos had carried out several
pre-dawn raids in some of the villages where suspected hawkers of the
illegally bunkered oil products reside and made several arrests in the
process.
Illegal bunkering is a booming
business at NNPC pipelines that pass through the creek villages around
Ilado in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area.
It would be recalled that
following the activities of the vandals and bunkers, several fire
disasters have occurred at the NNPC pipelines killing many and injuring
tens of others.
The last serious fire disaster
occurred on Wednesday June 3, and no fewer than seven people were reportedly
killed while more than fifteen persons were injured. The disaster was
said to have occurred when some youths hijacked a boat loaded with
illegally bunkered petroleum products demanding that they should have a
piece of the action free of charge.
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