7 Suspected Crude Oil Thieves Die In Bayelsa Pipeline Explosion

Some suspected members of a gang of oil thieves have died in an explosion caused by their alleged their attempts to breach a crude oil pipeline belonging to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) in Bayelsa State.

There were conflicting figures on the number of the victims consumed in the pipeline vandalism explosion as community sources, on Saturday, put the casualty figure at six and seven.


The charred bodies of the victims were found on February 25 in the creeks of Azagbene community in Ekeremor Local Government Area of the state.

It was learnt that two of the vandals were roasted to death while five others were burnt beyond recognition in the incident.

The suspected oil thieves were said to have attempted to rupture the pipeline using dynamites.

“The indigenes heard the sound of the explosion. It was followed by fire. But in the morning, when they went to the scene they found two dead bodies and five others badly burnt,” a source said.

Chairman of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Central Zone, Tare Porri, who confirmed the incident, warned youths of the various communities to desist from pipeline destruction because it is dangerous to their safety and that of the environment.

He said: “The incident occurred between the communities of Azagbene and Okpotuwari and the victims of the explosion were mainly from Azagbene community.

“They wanted to vandalise the Agip pipeline by detonating a dynamite. But something went wrong and they detonated it on themselves.

“We call on youths to stop endangering themselves by vandalising pipelines in their communities. Apart from risking their lives, their actions are degrading our environment. We also call on security agencies to always be at alert to stop acts of vandalism.