The Trans Forcados oil pipeline has again been vandalised by a yet-to-be identified group of persons, the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, said on Monday.

Nebo said in a statement issued by his media assistant, Kande Daniel, in Abuja that the vandalism incident was recorded at the weekend, and it was the third on the Trans Forcados pipeline this year, occurring within a space of 17 days.

He explained that the damage on the Trans Forcados pipeline occurred at the Oteghele axis in Bayelsa State and resulted in crude oil spill.

•He said consequent upon this, all the oil and gas production into this pipeline had been shut down to allow for damage assessment and repairs, adding that the duration of the disruption had not been estimated yet by technical experts, but that it is expected to reduce the volume of gas available for power generation whilst the situation lasts.

Nebo recalled that the 24’’ TFP section of the Trans Forcados pipeline at Okuokoko/Ugbomro was vandalised on January 2 and vandalism on the 24 TFP section at Egbokodo and the 28 TFP section at Yeye/Chanomi axis of the same pipeline on January 4.

“Sector experts went to work immediately, and after about one week on each section, repairs were effected and the pipeline was put back to use,” recently Nebo who has appealed for the understanding of electricity consumers, considering the reduction in power supply which this development may cause in some parts of the country, said.

While describing as painful, the possible motive of such sabotage, in view of the established cycle of vandalism incidents always coming on the heels of achieved high generation levels, Nebo however, said the ministry’s collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the nation’s security forces has resulted in the arrest of some pipeline vandals recently.

He also disclosed government’s plans to put a final stop to the unpatriotic and destructive acts of wilfully damaging public infrastructure, stating that parts of such plan would include the procurement and deployment of a new technology for digital censoring and surveillance to overcome the enormous difficulty associated with physically safeguarding pipelines that are hundreds of kilometres in length.

According to him, government is also proposing a law that would stipulate adequate sanctions for vandals, to deter them from the practice.