By Emma ARUBI
SAPELE-LARGE quantity of bitumen allegedly from pipelines belonging to Asca Bitumen Company located in Ogorode, Sapele, Okpe Council Area of Delta State was late Tuesday night spilled into the sprawling residence of Nigeria’s first Finance Minister, Late Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh.

The spill, which was discovered in the night by the wife of a tenant in the compound, has allegedly devastated living things such as fowls, frogs, rats and lizards and non living things around and within the premises.

The bitumen company runs some of its pipelines and loading bay right behind the building of late Okotie-Eboh’s home, even as some of his children have dragged the company to court over the location of their bitumen plant.

The spill was allegedly caused by a leakage from one of the pipeline joints, which the General Manager of Asca, Mr. Karten Asher, described as “unfortunate” in view of the loss of bitumen worth millions of naira to “acts of vandalism”.

He alleged that the pipeline was deliberately vandalised to sabotage and discredit the company’s reputation.

Asher, who spoke with newsmen, revealed that the incident is the second time Asca’s installation was being vandalized in recent times, thereby, causing the bitumen spill.

Although he could not confirm the quantity of bitumen lost so far, he, however, denied knowledge of the death of animals or fowls belonging to the late Okotie- Eboh’s family as a result of the spill, and sued for the protection of the company’s installations.

On his part, Mr. Godfrey Okotie- Eboh told journalists that his attention was drawn to the spill by a tenant at about 7pm on Monday, and immediately called on the company’s accountant who later came with some engineers to clamp the pipeline.

He claimed that animals like goats, fowls, lizards and rats had died as a result of the spill, adding that movements in and out of the premises have also become restricted due to the spread of the product and called on the Federal Ministry of the Environment, and the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, to come to their aid.