PPMC puts out Ilado pipeline fire

…Navy says no casualty recorded

By Sebastine Obasi

Pipeline and Products Marketing Company, PPMC, the marketing arm of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, yesterday, confirmed that it had successfully put out a pipeline fire, which occurred while vandals tried to siphon fuel.

Attempts by the vandals to steal oil from the Akinbo Jetty, Ilado, Lagos, on Tuesday backfired as their canoe gutted fire, thereby preventing them from carting away with their loot.

The development comes as the Nigerian Navy confirmed that there were no casualties from the incident.

However, rumours had it that the vandalism occurred at the Atlas Cove Jetty, Nigeria’s biggest reception jetty for refined products, thereby leading to an explosion at the tank farm.

But PPMC spokesperson, Mr. Nasir Imodagbe, who denied rumours of the explosion at Atlas Cove, confirmed that the incident took place at Ilado, a popular spot for pipeline vandalism in Lagos.

He told Vanguard on the telephone: “There was no explosion at the Atlas Cove yesterday (Tuesday). What happened was that vandals attacked a pipeline at Ilado and in the process their canoe gutted fire. The fire also extended to the pipeline, and our engineers immediately swung into action and successfully put out the fire. Now we are in the process of repairing the pipeline.”

Similarly, the Navy in a statement yesterday, confirmed that the situation was now under control.

A spokesperson for the Western Naval Command, Lt.-Commander Jerry Omodara, said no casualty was recorded in the pipeline fire.

He said: “The situation has been brought under control and I spoke with the Commander NNS Beecroft, Commodore Chris Ezekobe, and he confirmed that he had already deployed some officers to the area to assess the level of the explosion.

“At the moment we are yet to identify the chief cause of the explosion but it happened around the police post near the Atlas Cove,” he said.