Vandals Excavate, Steal Over 3km of Strategic Petroleum Pipeline in Enugu–Ebonyi forests
Environment
In a brazen and highly organised act of economic sabotage, suspected pipeline vandals have excavated and removed more than three kilometres of a critical high-pressure petroleum products pipeline linking Port Harcourt in Rivers State to Kaduna in Northern Nigeria.
The operation took place in remote forest areas straddling Eha-Amufu in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State and Obeagu Community in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
The pipeline forms part of Nigeria’s vital inland distribution network for refined petroleum products from the Port Harcourt refinery corridor.
According to an exclusive investigation by Sahara Reporters, the vandals established a makeshift camp deep in the forest and lived there for weeks or even months while carrying out the excavation. Residents reported that a businessman from Ebonyi State allegedly mobilised dozens of workers, mainly from the Abakaliki and Izzi areas, for the job.
“They came with more than 50 able-bodied men… They spent over two months inside the bush excavating the pipeline,” one local source told the publication.
The group allegedly used heavy machinery and specialised cutting equipment to dig up the buried pipes, slice them into manageable sections, and evacuate the materials in trucks, often under the cover of night.
The scale of the vandalism involving extensive trenches across difficult terrain points to a sophisticated network with access to logistics, equipment, and possibly insider support.
Reaching the site required over three hours by motorcycle followed by a two-kilometre trek through dense forest, highlighting the remoteness that enabled the prolonged operation.
Local residents alleged that several security agencies, including police, soldiers, Forest Guards, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), were aware of the activities but allegedly turned a blind eye after being compromised. Some youths who tried to intervene were reportedly threatened or paid off (up to N1 million in some cases). These claims could not be independently verified.
Community leaders linked the incident to a broader security vacuum in the area. Eha-Amufu and Obeagu have faced years of attacks by armed groups, including suspected herdsmen, leading to killings, kidnappings, and the displacement of hundreds of farming families. Over 150 farm settlements (Ndi-Agu) have been abandoned, removing a key layer of informal surveillance.
Obeagu’s newly inaugurated Town Union, which only stabilised after over a decade of leadership vacuum, said it became aware of the vandalism only recently and plans to report it to authorities.
Security analyst and human rights lawyer Gerald Moses described the incident as a worrying escalation in pipeline vandalism, traditionally more common in the Niger Delta but now affecting inland infrastructure. He warned of massive economic losses, threats to national energy security, and environmental risks.
No official reactions had been received from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Ebonyi State Police, or other security agencies at the time of reporting.
This latest case adds to ongoing concerns about the protection of Nigeria’s critical energy assets amid persistent insecurity and alleged corruption in remote areas.
Authorities are expected to launch investigations into the sophisticated theft and its potential impact on fuel distribution.
