YEAC-Nigeria Calls for Investigation into Reported Pipeline Explosion in Eleme
A pipeline explosion has been reported at Aleto in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, reportedly affecting surrounding buildings and leaving some residents hospitalised.
Confirming the report, the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, (YEAC-Nigeria) says the cause of the incident is yet to be independently verified, although preliminary reports have attributed it to a pipeline rupture allegedly resulting from equipment failure at a facility said to belong to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, (NNPC) Limited.
According to the Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, volunteers of the Advocacy Centre, who visited the scene for independent verification, confirmed the presence of personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC.
YEAC-Nigeria added that it had not independently confirmed any fatalities as of the time of its statement.
The environmental advocacy organisation however, called on the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, (NOSDRA) to identify the operator of the affected facility and conduct a Joint Investigation Visit, (JIV) to determine the cause and extent of the incident. It also urged the agency to invoke relevant provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, 2021, where applicable.
As at the moment of filing this report, the NNPCL had not made an official statement regarding the incidence and, meanwhile, the circumstances surrounding the reported explosion remain unclear, pending an independent investigation by the relevant authorities.
