The well in house 30
The landlord of 30, Animatu Ilo Street, Ejigbo, Lagos State, has threatened to take legal action against the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps for what he called, the unlawful arrest of his wife, Funke Ogunba, on August 23, 2013.
It was reported on Monday that eight residents, including Funke, were arrested by the corps after petrol was found in wells in their compounds.
However, Funke’s husband, Adebanji, said that the allegations were baseless.
Adebanji described the incident as overzealousness on the part of the NSCDC, adding that he would take legal action against them.
He said, “On August 9, 2013, my pumping machine got damaged and when I attempted to get it repaired, I discovered there was petrol inside the well. The following day, I went to the Ejigbo Police Station to report the matter and the policemen took me to the General Manager, Ejigbo Depot, one Mr. Balogun.
“On August 19 and 20, NNPC officials came to my house with trucks to siphon some of the fuel and even promised to construct another borehole for us.”
Adebanji said apart from himself, some other residents had also reported to the police because a large number of wells on the street had been contaminated with fuel.
He said he was surprised to learn that NSCDC officials and men of the Nigerian Army stormed his home and arrested his pregnant wife.
He said, “I was told that on Saturday that the NSCDC officials and some soldiers came to my house. They went into my bedroom and turned the entire place upside down. They vandalised my property and then sealed my house, accusing us of being pipeline vandals.
“My three children were taken to a neighbour’s house because my wife was arrested. I went to report the matter to the police and NNPC, but they told me that they were not aware of NSCDC’s activities.”
The father of three berated the NSCDC for not liaising with other sister agencies before breaking into his house.
He said he went to the NSCDC Lagos Command headquarters to secure his wife’s bail, alleging that the officers demanded N150,000.
“My wife, who is six months pregnant, has been in their custody for over two days. Even though she has committed no crime, the NSCDC is demanding N150,000 for her release. Is it a crime to be a law-abiding citizen? I will sue them for this,” he said.
Police sources at Ejigbo Division confirmed to our correspondent that Adebanji had indeed reported the matter.
A copy of his statement dated August 10, 2013, which was made available to our correspondent, read in part, “I am the landlord of the building at the aforementioned address.
“I have had a well in the compound since 2002 but recently discovered that the water in the well started mixing with fuel which is bad for my health and the environment which is peculiar to other houses in the area. That is why I came to the station to report it.”
The General Manager, NNPC, Ejigbo Depot, confirmed to one of our correspondents on the telephone that Funke Ogunba, was not a suspect in the matter, adding that they had received report about fuel in their well and had begun evacuating it.
The spokesman for the NSCDC, Mr. Chibuzor Mefor, said the agency did nothing wrong by arresting the suspects.
Mefor also denied allegations that the command demanded N150,000 bail.
He said, “We do not demand money for bail. As regards the arrest, nobody informed us that a report had been made on the issue and we are carrying out the mandate of the Federal Government.
“If the suspects had made a report about the petrol in the wells, NNPC should have informed us.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, confirmed to one of our correspondents on the telephone that the police had been investigating the matter for over two weeks. She said those arrested by civil defence were complainants and not suspects.
The Lagos Commandant of the NSCDC, Mr. Adesuyi Dayo, on Monday, said the corps did not receive any report from the police or residents of Animatu-Ilo Street, Ejigbo that petroleum products were leaking into their wells.
Dayo said this during a press conference at the NSCDC Lagos office in Ikeja.
He said, “If the people claimed they reported it to the police or NNPC, what did the organisations do about it? We are talking about lives of people and the economy of the nation here. If a match is struck close to those wells, there would be fire explosion.
“Members of the public should report any leakage of vandalised pipeline in their area to the appropriate authority for action. As Nigerians, let us work together for the development of the nation.”
“The Code that establishes the NSCDC in the Constitution has empowered us to arrest, detain and investigate without any prior notice to the suspects. This is the mandate given to us and we will perform it to the letter.”
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