a site of an oil spill
Residents of Aminatu Ilo Street, Ejigbo,
Lagos, where oil spillage occurred last
weekend, have abandoned their apartments
for fear of being molested by security
agents, after some residents have been
arrested by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence corps, NSCDC, who residents said
turned deaf ears to the explanation of
those arrested. The gates of the buildings on numbers 17
and 30 on the street where the spillage was
recorded were still locked when Vanguard
visited the place. A resident who identified himself to
Vanguard as Ayo Oke, said many of them
had gone into hiding for fear of being
arrested. “The arrest of the landlord of the house
where the spillage was noticed has instilled
fear on the people. This is because the man
noticed the spillage and reported to the
Police. He was arrested along with some
members of his household. Who knows the next person to be arrested? That is why
many of us are in hiding. The government
should resolve the issue quickly.” In an earlier statement, Depot Manager of
the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation, NNPC, Ejigbo, Dr. Tola Balogun,
said two samples of the leakage had been
taken for laboratory test to ascertain the
true nature of the spill, but complained about the refusal of security operatives to
open the site, which he said has been
stopping the corporation from getting more
samples. He also said the spill was discovered in a
well belonging to one Adedeji Ogunba, who
reported to the police at Ejigbo when he
noticed it, saying officials of the Nigerian
Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC,
last Saturday, stormed the affected compounds and arrested the people,
including a pregnant woman. The recent oil spill is not the first in the
area, as Baruwa Community, in Alimosho
Local Government Area also experienced
similar occurences in May 2012. Lawyers of the arrested residents have
threatened to sue the NSCDC for unlawful
detention of their clients and refusal to
release them on bail, despite their
innocence.
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