FG Will Deal Ruthlessly With Pipeline Vandals – Lai Mohammed

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The Federal Government has warned that it would deal ruthlessly with those engaged in pipeline vandalism and the sabotage of power infrastructure in the country.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, gave the warning in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Segun Adeyemi.

According to Mohammed, pipeline vandalism and the sabotage of power infrastructure has drastically reduced power generation/transmission as well as fuel supplies in recent times, thus inflicting untold hardship on Nigerians. He said repeated attacks on oil and gas pipelines and the willful shut down of power facilities by protesters amounted to economic sabotage which no government would tolerate.

“Vandals, whatever their motives are, cannot and will not be treated with kid gloves because their actions constitute a clear and present danger to the nation’s economic, social and political well-being,” the statement read.

“The attack on the Forcados Export Terminal that has affected gas production by oil firms and reduced gas supply to power generating plants and the shutdown of Utorogu gas plant are totally condemnable and cannot be allowed to continue,” he said.

Speaking further, the minister said: “The shutdown of the national transmission facility in Osogbo and the Ikeja Disco by some unionists amount to economic sabotage.”

Mohammed said the government was not unaware that as it steps up the fight against corruption, corruption would vigorously fight back in many forms which include destruction/sabotage of key national infrastructure to make the government look bad.

“However, nothing will make this government to slow down in its anti-corruption fight and no one who is corrupt will be spared,” he warned.

He appealed to Nigerians to join hands with the government to check the activities of unpatriotic elements working against the interest of the people.