Two pipeline vandals have been arrested in a village in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria.
The arrest of the two middle-aged men was made by the Ogun State Command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC) on Friday.
The agency said they were vandalising a pipeline of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC) with some other suspects who escaped.
Items found at the site include, nine vehicles, seven motorcycles and scores of jerry can loaded with substance suspected to be Premium Motor Spirit.
The Ogun State Commandant of the NSCDC, Mr Akinwande Abulowaye, said the men were arrested through information from members of the community and would be handed over to the police to be charged accordingly.
“They will be made to face the consequences of their action,” he said
The road to the vandalised NNPC pipeline seemed rough and impassable about 10 kilometres away to the main road, making easy access difficult.
At the site the commandant, however, advised vandals to end their illegal activities in the region and urged them to engage in legal and lawful means of livelihood.
Pipeline vandalism have become a major challenge that must be tackled by Nigeria’s security agencies, as it has continued to pose a threat to the nation’s oil output which is hugely relied on as a major source of revenue.