Heineken Lokpobiri, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), has issued a stern warning to pipeline vandals.
Senator Lokpobiri said security agencies have been mobilized to track down and bring down vandals of the nation’s oil facilities.
The Minister stated this while he paid a visit to vandalized 18-inch Tepidaba Brass-Oando pipeline at Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, on Saturday.
“Any attack on our oil facilities is utterly condemnable and must be met with decisive action. Our security agencies are fully mobilized and poised to track down and bring to justice all those behind these acts of sabotage.
“This sabotage goes beyond economic implications – it is an assault on the peace and stability we have collectively nurtured in the region.
“This pipeline is a major trunk line, critical to our national oil supply. Every day it remains shut, as it is now for maintenance, the country suffers immense revenue loss. The operating company bears the brunt, and so does the host community,” he said.
Lokpobiri reminded oil facilities’ host communities that they must protect pipelines to secure their 3 percent of revenues generated from crude oil sales.
“As stakeholders entitled to 3% of the revenue generated under the PIA, any operational hiccup in your community hits your earnings directly. So, staying alert and collaborating with security agencies is not just a duty; it is a mutual interest in protecting both the well-being of the community and the economic advantages that come with it,” he stated.
