Segun Atanda/
Residents of Idimu, a Lagos suburb, have been gripped by fear after suspected vandals cut a petroleum pipeline in the area to siphon several truckloads of fuel in the early hours of today.
NewsmakersNG learnt that the vandals arrived at the area called Omo Onile off Princess Abiola Road, about 12am to begin their illicit operation.
Some residents who suspected foul play alerted the authorities, following which several police teams raced to the scene.
Alerted by gunshots fired by the police as they approached the scene, the vandals reportedly fled leaving one of their trucks behind.
The policemen subsequently put up a cordon around the vandalised pipeline and remained on guard at the scene till daybreak.
A fire truck was also on standby at the scene all night.
NewsmakersNG learnt that all the shops in the vicinity were ordered shut by officials of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) who came to the scene early this morning. Resident were also prevented from using their mobile phones to take pictures of the scene.
Some residents told NewsmakersNG that they could not sleep all through the night due to the offensive smell of petrol and intermittent gunshots by the police.
A combined team of security agents and firefighters are reportedly still at the scene, while officials are working on resealing the broken pipeline.
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