At least five people died and dozens of others were rushed to hospital late on Sunday after an oil pipeline exploded in Nigeria in a blast that the authorities believe was caused by oil thieves who ruptured the pipeline belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The explosion occurred late on Sunday evening local time in Nigeria in the Ekoro area of Abule-Egba in the Lagos State, and dozens of people were feared dead. The explosion is thought to be the result of illegal activities by the so-called pipeline vandals in Nigeria–thieves who frequently try to steal oil and petroleum products from pipelines by puncturing them. The initial explosion was followed by others, while the fires from the explosions have thrown the residents in the area into panic. NNPC’s Group managing director, Mele Kyari, arrived on Monday for an on-the-spot assessment of the pipeline explosion, the Nigerian state […]