Opinion
Kom-Kom And Pipeline Fires
Fire disasters associated with the impairment of petroleum product facilities have more or less become a recurring decimal in Kom-Kom Community, in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State. While some were accidental, lot more were self-inflicted and patently avoidable. The incident that occurred in the same area on June 22, 2019 reportedly culminated in the loss of several lives.
Over forty persons were feared dead in the incident and scores of lock-up shops among other notable properties ravaged in the conflagration. The fire, which started in the wee hours of that fateful day and raged for more than a week, reportedly followed the trail of spilled Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise called petrol in drainage channels, wreaking havoc in about five streets in the neighbourhood.
The catastrophe would have been avoidable if the alleged vandals had not tampered with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) product pipelines and the inferno and the accompanying damage to lives and properties would not have occurred. It is quite unfortunate that this has always been happening in Kom-Kom and many are asking what exactly the problem is. Is there any collusion between the security operatives assigned to secure the pipelines and the vandals? Why is it that the criminals are not apprehended before damage is done on the facilities as it takes long hours to impair the pipelines in order to steal PMS? And why is it that no one seems to have learnt any lesson from the always fatal precedents?
The usual narratives had been that some persons died in the process of breaking pipelines or scooping the product. They abandoned the facilities, leaving the valves open while escaping from security agents.
Often times, disaster occurs when innocent but unscrupulous persons go to scoop petroleum products from the pipelines.
The same scenario is usually replicated whenever a petroleum tanker is involved in an accident spilling its contents; it is common to see ordinary Nigerians scooping inflammable products from the scenes of such incidents, even though they have seen or heard about the tragedy that struck elsewhere in similar situations. Such is the precipitate steps that many Nigerians take to tide over the hardship and misery in the land and in the process they practically throw caution to the wind and put their lives at needless risk.
Of course, government may have fallen short in the delivery of good governance that is capable of alleviating the suffering of the people, but that cannot be sufficient justification for engaging in criminal actions that lead to suicide. And in the real sense of it, pipeline vandals could hardly be described as poor because the fairly huge cost of the technology and equipment they deploy in breaking pipelines and evacuating their loot are such that the poor cannot readily afford. It is the under-dogs who steal the left-overs of the vandals. And, even at that, no reasonable person, no matter how deprived, should gravely endanger his or her life in the course of trying to eke out a living. After all, only the living can enjoy any improvement in their economic situation.
Also, because of the inflammable nature of the products the vandals spill into the environment while engaging in larceny, innocent people who did not in any way partake in the heinous activities but are in proximate area of the scene of the crime often lose their lives and property to fire. This is most unfortunate and should not be allowed to continue.
Beyond the panic they generate in the people living in the neighborhood, the regular fires cause environmental, economic and human losses that should not be tolerated in any civilized clime. It has, therefore, become imperative that residents of Kom-Kom Community be safety-conscious because even though the incident under reference affected some streets in the area, such explosions can actually wipe out the entire community.
For instance, on October 18, 1998, there was a vandalism- induced fire outbreak in Jesse, near Mosorga, in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State.
The entire community was almost wiped out as over a thousand lives were lost, many of whom were innocent citizens. It is rather amazing that some, who had witnessed, read or heard about this monumental tragedy and scores of others thereafter are still engaging in the nefarious activity of pipeline vandalism, while others seem to tolerate the vandals by pretending not to notice their activities.
Those vandals are not spirits; they live among the people and must have insiders who give them information on when to strike and when not to.
It is pertinent to point out and to remind the Kom-Kom Community that it is their obligation to protect government facilities sited within its domain. This, it should carry out by cooperating with the security agents charged with the securing of the facilities by availing them with the useful information that can assist to ambush and arrest criminals before they strike with a view to curbing the menace in society’s interest.
There is the need for the security apparatus of government to stand up and fight the criminals to a stand-still to avoid future occurrences of vandalism-related fire incidents. The alleged inter-agency rivalry which reportedly reared its ugly head at the scene of the crime must not be allowed to vitiate the official handling of this grievous incident.
This is one fire incident that must be thoroughly investigated and the culprits brought to book to serve as a deterrent to all those plotting to do same in the future.
Bethel Toby
The events that unfolded in Abuja on Tuesday November 11, 2025 between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike and a detachment of soldiers guarding a disputed property, led by Adams Yerima, a commissioned Naval Officer, may go down as one of the defining images of Nigeria’s democratic contradictions. It was not merely a quarrel over land. It was a confrontation between civil authority and the military legacy that still hovers over our national life.
Nyesom Wike, fiery and fearless as always, was seen on video exchanging words with a uniformed officer who refused to grant him passage to inspect a parcel of land alleged to have been illegally acquired. The minister’s voice rose, his temper flared, and the soldier, too, stood his ground, insisting on his own authority. Around them, aides, security men, and bystanders watched, stunned, as two embodiments of the Nigerian state clashed in the open.
The images spread fast, igniting debates across drawing rooms, beer parlours, and social media platforms. Some hailed Wike for standing up to military arrogance; others scolded him for perceived disrespect to the armed forces. Yet beneath the noise lies a deeper question about what sort of society we are building and whether power in Nigeria truly understands the limits of its own reach.
It is tragic that, more than two decades into civil rule, the relationship between the civilian arm of government and the military remains fragile and poorly understood. The presence of soldiers in a land dispute between private individuals and the city administration is, by all civic standards, an aberration. It recalls a dark era when might was right, and uniforms conferred immunity against accountability.
Wike’s anger, even if fiery, was rooted in a legitimate concern: that no individual, however connected or retired, should deploy the military to protect personal interests. That sentiment echoes the fundamental democratic creed that the law is supreme, not personalities. If his passion overshot decorum, it was perhaps a reflection of a nation weary of impunity.
On the other hand, the soldier in question is a symbol of another truth: that discipline, respect for order, and duty to hierarchy are ingrained in our armed forces. He may have been caught between conflicting instructions one from his superiors, another from a civilian minister exercising his lawful authority. The confusion points not to personal failure but to institutional dysfunction.
It is, therefore, simplistic to turn the incident into a morality play of good versus evil.
*********”**** What happened was an institutional embarrassment. Both men represented facets of the same failing system a polity still learning how to reconcile authority with civility, law with loyalty, and service with restraint.
In fairness, Wike has shown himself as a man of uncommon courage. Whether in Rivers State or at the FCTA, he does not shy away from confrontation. Yet courage without composure often feeds misunderstanding. A public officer must always be the cooler head, even when provoked, because the power of example outweighs the satisfaction of winning an argument.
Conversely, soldiers, too, must be reminded that their uniforms do not place them above civilian oversight. The military exists to defend the nation, not to enforce property claims or intimidate lawful authorities. Their participation in purely civil matters corrodes the image of the institution and erodes public trust.
One cannot overlook the irony: in a country where kidnappers roam highways and bandits sack villages, armed men are posted to guard contested land in the capital. It reflects misplaced priorities and distorted values. The Nigerian soldier, trained to defend sovereignty, should not be drawn into private or bureaucratic tussles.
Sycophancy remains the greatest ailment of our political culture. Many of those who now cheer one side or the other do so not out of conviction but out of convenience. Tomorrow they will switch allegiance. True patriotism lies not in defending personalities but in defending principles. A people enslaved by flattery cannot nurture a culture of justice.
The Nigerian elite must learn to submit to the same laws that govern the poor. When big men fence off public land and use connections to shield their interests, they mock the very constitution they swore to uphold. The FCT, as the mirror of national order, must not become a jungle where only the powerful can build.
The lesson for Wike himself is also clear: power is best exercised with calmness. The weight of his office demands more than bravery; it demands statesmanship. To lead is not merely to command, but to persuade — even those who resist your authority.
Equally, the lesson for the armed forces is that professionalism shines brightest in restraint. Obedience to illegal orders is not loyalty; it is complicity. The soldier who stands on the side of justice protects both his honour and the dignity of his uniform.
The Presidency, too, must see this episode as a wake-up call to clarify institutional boundaries. If soldiers can be drawn into civil enforcement without authorization, then our democracy remains at risk of subtle militarization. The constitution must speak louder than confusion.
The Nigerian public deserves better than spectacles of ego. We crave leaders who rise above emotion and officers who respect civilian supremacy. Our children must not inherit a nation where authority means shouting matches and intimidation in public glare.
Every democracy matures through such tests. What matters is whether we learn the right lessons. The British once had generals who defied parliament; the Americans once fought over states’ rights; Nigeria, too, must pass through her own growing pains but with humility, not hubris.
If the confrontation has stirred discomfort, then perhaps it has done the nation some good. It forces a conversation long overdue: Who truly owns the state — the citizen or the powerful? Can we build a Nigeria where institutions, not individuals, define our destiny?
As the dust settles, both the FCTA and the military hierarchy must conduct impartial investigations. The truth must be established — not to shame anyone, but to restore order. Where laws were broken, consequences must follow. Where misunderstandings occurred, apologies must be offered.
Let the rule of law triumph over the rule of impulse. Let civility triumph over confrontation. Let governance return to the path of dialogue and procedure.
Nigeria cannot continue to oscillate between civilian bravado and military arrogance. Both impulses spring from the same insecurity — the fear of losing control. True leadership lies in the ability to trust institutions to do their work without coercion.
Those who witnessed the clash saw a drama of two gladiators. One in starched khaki, one in well-cut suit. Both proud, both unyielding. But a nation cannot be built on stubbornness; it must be built on understanding. Power, when it meets power, should produce order, not chaos.
We must resist the temptation to glorify temper. Governance is not warfare; it is stewardship. The citizen watches, the world observes, and history records. How we handle moments like this will define our collective maturity.
The confrontation may have ended without violence, but it left deep questions in the national conscience. When men of authority quarrel in the open, institutions tremble. The people, once again, become spectators in a theatre of misplaced pride.
It is time for all who hold office — civilian or military — to remember that they serve under the same flag. That flag is neither khaki nor political colour; it is green-white-green, and it demands humility.
No victor, no vanquish only a lesson for a nation still learning to govern itself with dignity.
By; King Onunwor
