The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has asked the National Assembly to enact laws that will criminalise pipeline vandalization in the country.
The Corporation implored the lawmakers to use the consideration of the Petroleum Industry Bill currently before it to give thought to the laws against vandalism.
Levi Ajuonuma, group public affairs manager of the NNPC, who made the charge weekend at a three-day public enlightenment campaign against pipeline vandalism, said the development became necessary in view of the growing incidence of vandalism which also has spiral effect on the nation’s oil output.
He regretted that despite the bad effects of pipeline vandalism on the national economy, sabotage of PPMC facilities continues, grounding more than 80 percent of the pipeline network in the country.
“We would continue to encourage the National Assembly to enact laws that will appropriately criminalize pipeline vandalism to curb the cankerworm.
“The consideration of the Petroleum Industry Bill now before the National Assembly provides an added opportunity to impress it on our lawmakers to enact laws against vandalism’’.
Besides, the NNPC spokesman, who was represented at the occasion by Mr. James Adebola challenged stakeholders to continue to devise means of checkmating the activities of the vandals.
He explained that it is in the light of this that his company and PPMC organize the forum to sensitise stakeholders on how to deploy collective action to protect the pipelines.
“As we are in one of the host communities, I wish to seize this opportunity to admonish that it is in our collective enlightened best interest that host communities collaborate with us to curb incidents of pipeline vandalism.
“One way in which they would be of good assistance is in the area of alerting the law enforcement agencies on notice of any suspicious movement around PPMC pipelines and facilities’’. He said
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