SECURITY MATTERS: ONCE A THIEF, ALWAYS A THIEF Operatives of the Inspector General of Police Special Task Force on Anti-Pipeline Vandalism have arrested one Kehinde Oremede, a former security guard of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, for pipeline vandalism. The police also declared a former private security personnel attached to NNPC, Alhaji Ganga, wanted for the same crime. According to police authorities, Ganga is a kingpin who has been in charge of pipeline vandalism in Sagamu area of Ogun State for some time. A father of eight, 47-year-old Oromede , told PUNCH Metro that he took to crime because he was paid only N20, 000 by NNPC. He said his salary was too little to cater for his family. He said, “Ganga and I, were employed by NNPC at their Mosimi office at Sagamu. Our duty was to secure the right of way from Mechanic village to Kawefumi Odugboro axis in Sagamu area of Ogun state. I did my job but the temptation was too much. We were paid N20, 000 per month to risk our lives despite the hazards. “You are expected to drive away vandals who are always armed and at the end of the day, you will be given peanuts. I am a family man and nobody should blame me if I decided to compromise. The vandals offered us good money to allow them work on our lines and in exchange we were given N50, 000 per operation. “Ganga was also a security man but as soon as he was sacked, he started working with some of us who were still working for NNPC. He paid more money and he was allowed to work along our right of way. It was when NNPC discovered that we were allowing vandals to work; they decided to take our jobs away from us. Since I had no other job, I became a full time pipeline vandal.” The suspect said he usually siphoned up to four trucks of petrol anytime he and Ganga operated. He however pleaded with the police saying, “Please do not send me to jail. In our area in Sagamu, majority of us are into pipeline vandalism, all I wanted to do was to save enough money to send my eight children to school. If you send me to prison, they will all grow to become vandals.” Confirming the arrest, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Friday Ibadin, who is in charge of the task force said three others, Adewale Saka, Kemi Balogun and Umaru Abudulahi; were also arrested with a truck fully loaded with petrol while they were about to discharge the stolen petrol to their buyer at Ogere, in Ogun state. He said policemen led by Sector Commander, Lagos, DSP Onaghise Osayande, were on Ganga’s trail.
Posted on: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 05:46:27 +0000
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