Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, has averted a major disaster at Omoboriowo Street, Pipeline Bus Stop Igando-Ikotun Road, Igando, where a pipeline was vandalised earlier today leading to serious threat to the lives and properties of Lagosians.

Following the distress call escalated via the Agency’s 767/112 Toll Free lines at 6:15a.m and the Agency’s swift 9-minute response time with Time of Arrival at 6:24a.m, with its collaborators at the incident scene where Premium Motor Spirit, PMS was flowing heavily into the drainage channels connecting Omoboriowo Street, Old Garage Ikotun Junction, New Garage Ikotun Junction, Ikotun Market and Igando/Ikotun LCDA.

According to a statement emanating from the Office of the LASEMA DG/CEO, Dr. Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, read that a very large volume of PMS was gushing out of the NNPC pipeline at the aforementioned location.

The flow of PMS was caused by suspected pipeline vandalism and bunkering in the early hours of today, Friday, into the drainage channels.

Fortunately, there was no record of any loss of life and property, however, the Response Team, Dolphin Squad at Igando embarked upon a serious sensitization, public education and awareness in the entire community to avoid any form of open flame and burning, to avert ignition that could result to explosion or any other secondary incident, as the entire area was highly vulnerable due to the heavy flow of the highly flammable PMS.

Furthermore, the PMS flow from the pipeline was successfully stopped, and the leakage successfully controlled by Officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation, (NNPC) Maintenance crew, while blanketing of the other end of the community around Ikotun Market, BRT terminal and Synagogue Church, where vulnerability was considered high was carried out by the Agency’s Fire Team.

Responders at the incident scene were LASEMA Response Team and its Fire men, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, NSCDC, NNPC, LASTMA, and the LNSC.