The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the NNPC, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, said in Abuja on Tuesday that in October 2018, its pipeline network suffered a 42.9 percent increase in the incidents of pipeline vandalism compared to the previous month during the year.
He added that the Corporation recorded 219 pipeline vandalized points in the month under review, compared to 125 incidents it suffered in September of the same year.
Local media reports said that the findings were captured in the NNPC Monthly Financial and Operations Report for October 2018 and that four vandalized pipeline points failed to be welded and one point was ruptured.
The reports quoted Ughamadu as saying that cases of vandalism of pipeline facilities were high along Ibadan-Ilorin and Aba-Enugu axes, accounting for 81 (40%) and 39 (18%) vandalized points respectively.
According to Ughamadu, in spite of the challenge posed by pipeline vandalism, the NNPC kept an eye on petrol stock level to ensure zero fuel queues across the nation.