Suspected arsonists, believed to be militants in the early hours of yesterday blew open two pipelines of the Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company(WRPC), which carries petroleum products between the refinery and the jetty.
The explosion point is popularly called “Monkey village” .
The pipelines were torn apart and ostensibly damaged by the high calibre explosive device. The good thing is that the two pipelines were not carrying any product at the time of the explosion.
Security agents led by the Joint Military Task Force Commander, General Alfred Ilogho said he would beef up security in the area to avoid future incident.
A statement by WRPC’s Head, Public Affairs, Ms M.N. Emmanuel-Ate said preliminary investigation had been carried out and only the “Ballast water line and the Butane line (which was without product at the time) were affected.”
The statement further stated that all the other product lines were not affected and there was no major damage to the immediate environment.
Emmauel-Ate said security operatives were presently investigating to establish the exact cause of he explosion and “we are waiting for the outcome of the investigation.”
Meanwhile, the management of the WRPC has appealed to host communities to be alert and inform securitry agencies of any suspicious movement along the pipeline’s right-of-way