The Edo State command
of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) said that it successfully prosecuted eight pipeline vandals and arrested a total of 30 miscreants between January and December 2015.
The State Commandant, Walter Akubuiroh, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Benin, recently.
He said that besides the eight cases that were successfully prosecuted by the command; another 18 cases were ongoing at various courts in the state, within the same period.
The commandant also said a total of 12 trucks of various capacities and eight J5 buses loaded with illegally refined crude, were impounded within the same period.
Akubuiroh said the level of vandalism, especially of pipelines, had reduced, when compared to that of the previous year.
He expressed optimism that the command would work to see that pipeline vandalism was brought to its lowest minimum, in the very near future, if not completely eliminated.
The commandant, however, stressed that the feat could only be achieved with the cooperation of host communities where these pipelines passed through, as well as the general public.
He noted that the NSCDC was carrying out an enlightenment programme aimed at familiarizing the public with the dangers inherent in pipeline vandalism.
He lauded the Federal Government efforts at getting communities more involved in the area of pipeline protection and the need for them to share information with the NSCDC.
“The peculiar case with pipeline security is that some of these communities see pipeline vandalism as their own way of making a living. They feel that pipeline vandalism is their own way of enjoying the national cake.
“That is why in some communities, they build a fence around vandals. They protect these people because of the little they are making out of the illegality.
“Another challenge is that these pipelines are in difficult terrains that our men can not readily access.
“We have been carrying out a lot of enlightenment to let people know the danger inherent in this act.
“One thing they should know about is the danger of the illegality, especially in the area of pollution.
“We are making the communities to realize that their economic lives are being destroyed by these vandals from the little they are given.
“We want Nigerians to know that this pipeline vandalism is a serious economic sabotage which is affecting the lives of the citizens of this country.
“The resources that would have been channelled into the development of the country are forced into the hands of a few individuals, for their own selfish interests.
“People should understand that an act of pipeline vandalism is like stabbing yourself and stabbing the nation. It is like eating what your children will eat in generations to come,” he added.