SUSPECTED pipeline vandals have ruptured Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) pipelines in Burutu Local Governmnt Area of Delta State but unfortunately for them, they could not accomplish their mission of carting away the oil pipes.

Saturday Vanguard learnt that the vandals, thinking that there was no oil in the pipeline, tampered with the pipeline at three points, only for oil to start gushing out.

"Because their mission was to dismember and steal the pipes, they took to their heels on seeing that oil was flowing everywhere. However, they have seriously polluted Okontu community and the neighbouring communities by their criminal action", a source told this reporter.

The Delta Waterways Security Committte (DWSC) , which has been able so far to check the operations of militants in the state was understood to have sent some of its members to the area to assess the situation on ground.

"They are not militants, they are boys who came to steal oil pipes", a member of the Committee explained, adding, "As you are aware, the DWSC is waging a war against crude oil thieves, pipeline vandals and militants in the state. We don't want such criminal activities in our waterways and to a large extent, we have succeeded in making the state safe once again for investors, and we want to keep it up".