Less than two weeks after the activities of pipeline vandals caused explosion in Elebu area of Ibadan, another explosion on Saturday night rocked Alapata community in the city. The community is on Apete-Akufo Road.
During a visit to the scene yesterday, the valve pit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipeline was still burning while thick smoke covered the air with men of the antivandalisation squad of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) the police, NNPC team and State Security Service (SSS) officials keeping people away from the scene
An eye witness, who did not want his name mentioned, told journalists that the explosion did not claim any life, but destroyed some portions of farmlands and other property.
A farmer, Alhaji Fatai Ayilara, said that security operatives were contacted immediately some strange movement was noticed in the area on Wednesday.
He then called for the construction of the road linking the area to Apata community as part of the measures to check the activities of the vandals.
Ayilara said: "We suspected some strange movement around this area on Wednesday and we informed the security. About eight of them came and we went round together.
"On Friday when I closed from work, I observed that the vandals have tempered with the valve pit. I went round and realised the padlock was intact. There was no damage to the iron there too, but I saw foot prints along the bush path.
"Then on Saturday morning, I observed massive noise from the area."
However, before we got back, fuel had already started gushing out and flowing into farmlands, stream and adjourning areas. We informed security and I left. I was later informed that the place caught fire.
National Mirror