Nine operatives of the Department of States Security (DSS) have been killed by vandals at the Konu area of Ogun State, South-West Nigeria.

A report this morning in The Union quoted a dependable source as saying that they were shot dead by pipeline vandals numbering over 20 and clad in black shirts and trousers, with red bands tied round their heads when they stormed Arepo creeks and broke a pipeline belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

“It was gathered that the hoodlums had loaded over eight trucks with the siphoned petroleum products, while their members drove the trucks, through Konu to where they wanted to offload the products,” the report said.

It quoted sources as saying that a call had come from NNPC, alerting the DSS of on-going oil theft, based on which a team of DSS officials were dispatched to the scene to effect the arrest of the hoodlums.

“Unknown to the operatives that danger was lurking ahead, they ran into the ambush of the vandals who opened fire killing the nine occupants who were in a vehicle on the spot,” The Union said.

•Photo shows DSS DG Lawal Daura.