Barely 24 hours after Osinbajo's visit, unknown group blow up pipeline

Barely 24 hours after Vice President Yemi Osinbajo led a Federal Government delegation to visit the Niger Delta region, an unknown group has set fire on a crude oil pipeline at Ughelli, Delta state.

According to Vanguard, the pipeline belonging to the Niger Petroleum Development Company, (NPDC) located behind the SETRACO construction yard, along the East/West express road, was seen raging with fire at about 4:30p.m.

Though the flame had subsided at about 7:12p.m, it could not immediately be immediately ascertained what caused the fire as no group has claimed responsibility.

A security source, operating in the area, confirming the incident, debunked insinuation that the inferno was as a result of an attack by suspected militants.

He said: “The cause of the incident is as a result of bush burning. Someone set fire on the area and the pipeline, which had some crude oil spill on it and the surrounding environment went up in flames, sending huge balls of flame into the air.”

The vice president paid a visit to Oporoza community, the headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom in Delta state as a way to find peace in the troubled Niger Delta region.

Osinbajo was accompanied on the visit by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP and Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Matters, Brig-Gen. Paul Boroh (retd.) and others.