The police in Imo State have confirmed the demise of five vandals in an explosion at Obitti community.
The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the incident occurred during pipeline vandalism.
The Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, has initiated an investigation to uncover the cause and apprehend culprits. The vandals, attempting oil theft, caused a blast, resulting in casualties and significant damage to property.
This incident echoes a tragic history, reminiscent of previous explosions in the region in April 2022 and May of the same year.
Read Also:
“Yes, the incident happened yesterday (Tuesday).
“Five vandals were burnt beyond recognition and we are currently investigating it in collaboration with our sister security agencies to unravel the identities of those behind the economic sabotage.
“They went for their normal pipeline vandalism when the incident occurred.
“Our goal is to make sure that similar vandalism does not occur in the future,” the police spokesperson said.
“They dug a hole in the pipeline and connected their long pipe to their tanker to steal oil.
“I cannot say exactly what caused the explosion, but I know and from what I saw, many people died, and many others, who narrowly escaped the explosion, sustained various degrees of injuries.
“The fire that raged for hours burnt the tanker and also affected our farm produce worth millions of naira,” the source said.
