Vandals Target Oando’s Pipelines In Bayelsa, Government Vows To Bring Perpetrators To Justice

Vandals have targeted pipelines managed by indigenous energy firm Oando Plc in Bayelsa State in three separate attacks over the past week, a report by Reuters confirmed on Saturday.

The incidents affected two key pipelines operated by Oando, including the 18-inch Tebidaba, Brass crude oil pipeline in Brass Local Government Area and the 24-inch Ogboinbiri, Obiobi gas pipeline in Southern Ijaw District.

Oando, which recently acquired Nigerian Agip Oil Company from Eni, has confirmed the attacks and responded with emergency measures to mitigate the impact.

In response to the sabotage, Oando Plc activated its emergency response plan, deploying leak repair teams to the affected sites to contain the situation.

The company stated that it is collaborating with relevant authorities to conduct a joint investigation visit (JIV) to determine the extent and cause of the attacks.

JIV is a statutory investigation conducted by the operator, regulators, and the host community for every reported oil and gas leak. The objective is to ascertain the cause, the volume of the leak, and the impacted areas.

After the JIV, Oando plans to initiate full-scale repairs to resume normal operations “as quickly as possible,” according to the company’s statement.

Minister Vows To Bring Vandals To Justice

The recent attacks come on the heels of a previous pipeline sabotage in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area. Following that attack, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, vowed to bring the vandals to justice.

Accompanied by heads of security agencies, including the Brigade Commander and civilian security contractors such as the owner of Darlon Oil and Gas Limited, David Lyon, and the owner of Tenebo Security Services Ltd, Gabriel Jonah, Lokpobiri visited the site of the damaged 18-inch pipeline in Brass.

Describing the attack as “unfortunate,” he emphasized that no responsible government would allow such acts to go unchallenged.

“This is a very important economic asset of the Federation, and the government will do everything possible to ensure it is protected.

“We will go after anybody linked to this crime, wherever they are hiding. We are all Ijaw people, and we know how to find ourselves. We will find them,” Lokpobiri said.

Pipeline sabotage and crude oil theft have become significant issues in Nigeria, prompting oil majors such as Shell, ExxonMobil, Total, and Eni to divest their onshore and shallow-water fields and focus on deep-water operations.