Lagos State Police Command has uncovered eleven buildings in Ilasamaja area of Lagos, with one of them popularly called PDP house which were used for illlegal bunkering activities.

The Command equally arrested four persons allegedly involved in the bunkering.

The buildings located on Ibadan and Abeokuta streets, had underground pipes which pump petroleum products suspected to be diesel into wells.

Thereafter, the products are loaded into trucks, drums and jerricans at night.

Activities of the suspects had been going on for over five years until policemen from Ilasamaja division led by the Divisional Police Officer, Titilayo Oriyomi Oluwasanmi, a woman Superintendent of Police, swooped on them at the early hours.

During the routine patrol around Abeokuta street, it was gathered that some buyers who came with jerricans and drums ran into a building on 10 Abeokuta street and locked the door from behind, on sighting the police van.

The DPO was said to have gone back to the division, changed into mufti and returned to the street, with a jerrican and went straight to the building ,while her men positioned at strategic points .

She was said to have combed the building to ascertain what they were doing, only to discover a brick on top of the well.

She ordered her men to remove the brick, where it was discovered to the amazement of all that they were siphoning petroleum product from the well.

Preliminary investigation revealed that owner of the building, Moji Adesina, had ejected all her tenants, in order to avoid being implicated. It was discovered that a pumping machine was mounted inside the well, from where the product is pumped into trucks which were usually stationed outside.

Some jerricans and drums yet to be filled , were recovered close to the well. Checks carried on nine other buildings reveled that similar illegalities were going on there.

It further discovered that under ground pipe was connected to some buildings on the next street (Ibadan street). One of the buildings comprising 17 rooms on number 11 Ibadan street, popularly known as PDP house, had stickers of the Peoples Democratic Party on them.

Other buildings on same street where similar discoveries were made included numbers 7, 9, and 13.

The eleventh discovery was made while the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, who visited the scene made an attempt to check the well of a building on number 5 Ibadan street.

Owoseni who was accompanied by the Commander Rapid Response Squad, Olatunji Disu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, therefore, advised residents of the affected streets to relocate, to safeguard their lives in the event of likely fire outbreak.

Also on ground was the Area Commander ‘D’ Salisu Gyadigyadi, an Assistant Commissioner of Police.

Addressing the residents in Yoruba dialect, Owoseni said : “You can not tell us that you are not aware of these illegalities in your vicinity. Nevertheless, for your safety, it is better to relocate because with this discovery, perpetrators of this act may decide to set fire on the wells in order to jeopardize investigation. And when that happens, your lives will be endangered. Consider your lives and those of your children”.

Some of the wells were painted with sky blue colour to indicate their owners. Some were even connected to uncompleted buildings.

General manager, Lagos State Emagency Management Agency, LASEMA Michael Akindele who visited the area said his agency was working out on strategy to prevent calamity that could lead to loss of lives and property, even as he advised the residents to seek alternative shelter.

Four suspects; two of them landlords and the rest tenants were arrested, with the recovery of four drums and several jerricans.

The suspects would be interrogated with a view to arresting the end users.