A major national security and economic sabotage has unfolded in Nigeria’s South-East as suspected pipeline vandals have excavated and removed more than three kilometres of a strategic high-pressure petroleum pipeline.

The pipeline transports refined petroleum products from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to Kaduna in Northern Nigeria.

An investigation revealed that the large-scale vandalisation occurred in remote forests straddling Eha-Amufu in Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of Enugu State and Obeagu Community in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, raising serious questions about security oversight and the protection of critical national infrastructure.

The affected pipeline forms part of Nigeria’s vital petroleum distribution network, conveying petroleum products from the Port Harcourt refinery corridor through several states to northern parts of the country.

During a visit to the scene, SaharaReporters observed extensive excavation trenches stretching across difficult terrain, with evidence suggesting that the operation was carried out over an extended period rather than as a hit-and-run criminal activity.

The scale of the operation indicates a highly organised network involving specialised equipment, logistics support and detailed knowledge of the pipeline route.

Reaching the vandalised section underscored the remoteness of the operation. It took the media over three hours and twenty minutes to reach the area by motorcycle.

At one point, the journey became impossible by road, forcing our crew and the commercial motorcyclist conveying them to abandon the motorcycle and trek more than two kilometres through a dense forest before arriving at the site.

At the scene, large sections of the pipeline had already been excavated and removed, leaving behind deep trenches and signs of heavy mechanical activity.

Residents of both Eha-Amufu and Obeagu communities alleged that the operation was masterminded by a businessman in Ebonyi State, whose identity could not be ascertained at the time of filing this report.

According to multiple sources familiar with the operation, the suspect allegedly mobilised dozens of workers from Abakaliki area of Ebonyi State and established a makeshift camp inside the forest for weeks or even months, while the excavation progressed.

One source told SaharaReporters: “I don’t know his real name. He came with more than 50 able-bodied men from Izzi. They spent over two months inside the bush excavating the pipeline.”

The source added that after exposing the buried infrastructure, the group deployed specialised cutting equipment to slice the pipes into transportable sections before evacuating them in trucks.

“They dug up the pipeline, cut it into pieces using heavy machinery and loaded the materials onto trucks. They lived in the forest throughout the operation. They evacuated the pipes in the dead of the night with assistance of corrupt elements in the security,” the resident said.

Residents expressed shock that such a large-scale operation could have continued for months without attracting decisive intervention from authorities.

Several sources alleged that multiple security agencies operating in the area were aware of the activities of the criminals. (SaharaReporters)