While Nigerians were groaning and battling with
the adverse effects of petrol scarcity across the
country, some residents of Ejigbo were having it
rough with security agencies. They had their
problems compounded by police harassment and
detention over alleged oil bunkering activities in
their neighbourhood.
The alarm had been raised by several
unsuspecting victims of adulterated petrol, who
had bought the much sought-after product from
the ‘black market’ at exorbitant price in Ejigbo
and environs at the height of the fuel scarcity
crisis, which came to a head last weekend. Many
vehicle owners had complained of buying petrol
mixed with water and this had sprung policemen
from the Ejigbo division into action.
After some snooping around, some trail led police
detectives to some streets in Ejigbo, in particular
Abuna, Sanusi and Surprise Avenue and some
parts of Victory Estate, where oil spill had
polluted underground water in the area. Instead
of water, residents were fetching petrol from
wells and boreholes. Since the police discovery,
residents have not slept with both eyes closed,
as the police have subjected them to constant
harassment.
Former chairman of Abuna Sanusi Community
Development Association (CDA), Chief Samuel
Obembe, said over half of million Ejigbo residents
are sleeping on a time bomb, which could
explode anytime soon if urgent action is not
taken to arrest the oil spillage, which first
occurred in 2013.
“About 28 streets are presently affected, where
there are no water. All the wells and boreholes
have been polluted. Even the pumping machine
cannot withstand infection of fuel mixed with
water. Contrary to what the police is insinuating,
we are not oil vandals, we are instead suffering
from the neglect of the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
“We have made the necessary complaints to the
Wasimi station of the NNPC and they directed
one Alhaji Abubakar to inspect our area but
since that inspection in 2013, nothing has come
out of it. We pray there is no explosion in this
area because over 500,000 people would be
affected.”
When The Guardian visited the area yesterday,
there was relative calm in the affected streets
and it was devoid of residents for fear of police
arrest. Traders also locked up their shops, while
community leaders were locked up in a meeting
with the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ejigbo
station and representatives of Ejigbo Local
Council Development Area (LCDA).
Legal adviser to the community, Barrister Ekpeh
Paschal, told The Guardian after the meeting
that the community has resolved to take the
issue up with the Commissioner of Police,
informing him of the grave security risk the area
is exposed to and bring to his attention the
activities of his men.
Aside the risk of contaminated water, which
studies confirm could cause cancer and physical
or mental disability, Paschal noted that the
area’s exposure to highly inflammable materials
could result in a fire outbreak like the disaster
that occurred 10 years ago in Ijegun.
According to an oil sector analyst, Victor Ohai,
pipelines have a lifespan of 15 years. This means
there should be periodical change of pipeline
installations across the country.
He went on: “These things are not meant to last
forever. I don’t know when but I am sure the
pipelines have been there for much longer. The
danger is that there is a lot of corrosion that
goes on over time leading to some perforations
on the pipes.
“Any time oil is being pumped, the product leaks
and goes underground. When it rains, the
underground water level rises and because oil
will always float when mixed with water, the oil
will seep through into neighbouring wells. With
the present situation, residents of this area are
already victims of the negligence of the NNPC,
who are the owners of the pipelines. Apart from
the health implication, the hazards of exposed
pipelines cannot be quantified.”
It would be recalled that the NNPC in November
2013 confirmed the oil spillage at Ejigbo area,
saying two samples of the leakage had been
taken for laboratory test to ascertain the true
nature of the spill. The spillage was first
discovered in a well belonging to one Mr.
Adedanji Ogunba.


http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/05/oil-spill-puts-500000-ejigbo-residents-at-risk-of-explosion/

..

When the ND will start having cancer...The northerners who has stole their oil wells and wealth will be no where to help them....

Prevention is better than cure before story that touches the heart happen. lalasticlala

Hmmm

truefact:
When the ND will start having cancer...The northerners who has stole their oil wells and wealth will be no where to help them....

How do your comment relate to the story?
Instead of you to state way forward in which the relevant agencies can arrest the situation, you are here as usual, with your ethnicity bigotry.