Philip Nwosu
A major disaster was averted, on Tuesday, at the Atlas Cove area of Lagos as members of the Topline Security, a private security outfit engaged by the Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC) to police pipeline, threatened to kill naval personnel and journalists at the area.
The naval personnel, led by the Commander Nigerian Naval Ship (NNS) BEECROFT, Commodore Okon Eyo, had arrive the area located around the Takwa Bay area of Lagos to retrieve jerricans of fuel allegedly abandoned by fleeing vandals but was prevented by the members of Topline Security from doing so.
Witnesses told Daily Sun that the members of the Topline Security, mainly young men, cocked their rifles and held the journalists and the naval officers hostage for few hours.
They prevented the officers from recovering the fuel and transporting same to the naval base as they yelled that they were tired with the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies who visit the area to allegedly prevent them from doing their jobs.
Leader of the security outfit yelled and rain abuses on the Commander Beecroft and other naval personnel who were at the island as the journalists scampered to safety.
The witness said the private security personnel brandished charms and amulets as they say, “we are ready to die here. We will all die. We will simply blow off these jerricans and cause explosion than allow you carry them. Enough of the threats,”
At this time, the witness said the local security men with their pump action rifles have surrounded the naval personnel and the journalists and blocked the only narrow bush path to the place.
They said that nobody will leave area alive and Journalists who taken to the place went into prayers and seeking God’s intervention.
It was gathered that the security personnel wanted to provoke the navy to begin a shooting that would have resulted to a bloody encounter, but Commodore Eyo calmed the situation and prevented what could been a major bloodshed.
It was learnt that the over 3000 jerricans filed with petroleum products, amount to over 150,000 litres of PMS, were recovered from suspected vandals at Idi-Mongoro area of Atlas cove, Lagos.
Speaking on the faceoff, the Commander NNS BEECROFT, , said that the Navy would meet with the NNPC to review the terms of engagement it had with Topline Security.
Eyo said that the navy was also going to ascertain if the private security guards were allowed to carry arms.
“You all saw what happened at Ibeshe, a riverine community that play host to an important NNPC facility.
“Personnel of Topline security claimed they were awarded the contract of protecting the pipeline that runs from Atlas cove through satellite town to Ejigbo, Mosemi and to Ilorin and other parts of the country.
“You also witnessed to the shameless attitude which their personnel put up. They were apparently trying to provoke the Navy into taking actions.
“But ours is not to endanger the lives of people.
“We also saw that they are carrying guns; we will also ascertain if they are allowed to carry arms,” he said
The Commander of the NNS BEECROFT said that the navy had conducted an aerial operation during which they sighted over 3000 jerricans loaded in vehicles.
He said that following the aerial view, the navy decided to move in to ascertain the activities which resulted in the faceoff.
In a swift reaction, a Top line Security official at the scene, Tiamiyu Jeremiah, accused the navy of aiding the vandals.
He said that Top line Security guards recovered the products from suspected vandals who siphoned them from NNPC pipelines that runs from Atlas cove, Apapa to Ejigbo and Mosemi depots in Lagos.
Jeremiah said that as at the time the products were recovered on Sunday, they were being conveyed in five vehicles to an unknown destination.