Several injured as Bayelsa IPMAN clash with pipeline vandals

Several people were said to have sustained injuries and properties destroyed over the weekend as the Federal Task Force against pipeline vandalism along with Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) clashed with armed youths of the Okarki community during an inspection of illegal oil bunkering sites in the area.

Okarki is a boundary community between Rivers and Bayelsa State and most of the pipelines from oil multinationals pass through the community.

According to the branch chairman of IPMAN in Bayelsa State, Comrade

Victor Agbutufie, the task force team was in the community to identify and inspect the sites, when some youths allegedly engaged in illegal oil bunkering business attacked them and destroyed their property including cars, and injured several people in the team.

He said the hoodlums also threatened to cause more havoc to IPMAN officials in the state if their activities are frustrated by any security agent.

He said: “We were in the community for inspection and to identify major bunkering sites when the thugs attacked us, during which some members of the Federal Task Force sustained various degrees of injury and was forced to leave the community.

“Even though Okarki is in Rivers State, the Federal Task Force on Pipeline Vandalism, Bayelsa State Command is not restricted within the state alone, but has the responsibility of protecting oil and gas-related activities in the area because of its closeness to Yenagoa and the common understanding between the leadership of IPMAN in Rivers and Bayelsa States.

“We got information that there are illegal activities of pipeline vandals in that area and went on inspection. We saw storage facilities and other products and took pictures which must have hurt them to resort to attacking us,” he said.