Operatives of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) surveillance team on Wednesday arrested a policeman and a tanker driver who were part of a pipeline vandals syndicate reportedly using a Lagos hotel as a base.
The surveillance team traced the smell of petrol to a burst pipeline which was allegedly channelled to a waiting tanker at Glonik Hotel in Abule Egba area of Lagos.
“We had a gun battle with the men securing the vandals but they were later overpowered by my men. A tanker driver and one policemen were arrested,” Aminu King, the team leader, told NAN.
“Another policeman who was with the vandals escaped with the hotel manager but the receptionist, the waitress and other occupants of the hotel were rounded up.
“We later discovered that the whole compound of the hotel was filled with tanks and 50-litre jerry cans filled with petrol. This act has been going on for a long time because their tanks had changed colour as they had been storing patrol in it.”
A woman believed to have been abducted was said to be found tied up in a room inside the hotel. She was rescued by the operatives.
Policemen attached to Ijaye division also responded to a distress call from the scene which almost led to a rivalry between the security operatives.
The receptionist, Rachel Egbede, told NAN that she started working at the hotel after the previous workers were sacked three weeks ago.
“I observed that some men gather here by 10pm every night claiming they came for a meeting and whenever I challenge them, my manager usually tell me to let them be,” she said.
“Most times I see policemen with them so I never suspected anything until today that I started hearing gunshots in the middle of the night before we were all rounded up.”
Waliu Tella, the arrested tanker driver, told NAN that he brought his vehicle to the location after he was promised N500,000 per trip.
Five tankers and two tanker heads were packed at the scene.
When contacted, Olarinde Famous-Cole, spokesman of the Lagos state police command, said he was yet to be briefed on the incident.
 surveillance team on Wednesday arrested a policeman and a tanker driver who were part of a pipeline vandals syndicate reportedly using a Lagos hotel){kind=link}