A wave of panic has swept over the residents of Omoku Town in the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, following a rupture in a gas pipeline that occurred on Friday.
The pipeline Gas, believed to be under the operation of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC), is situated in close proximity to Grace Orphanage Home, off Egbada Road, in the heart of Omoku town.
The rupture is suspected to be a consequence of equipment failure, given that the infrastructure was established back in the 1960s.
Chief Bright Abali, a respected figure in the community, has urgently appealed to NAOC and Oando Plc to intervene promptly to avert a potential explosion and the accompanying risk to human lives.
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He expressed his concern, stating, “Gas eruptions are a frequent phenomenon along Agip pipelines, especially within the forest areas, attributable to the obsolete nature of the pipelines.
The company has persistently neglected to upgrade their decades-old facilities.”
Echoing Chief Abali’s sentiments, Pastor Evaristus Nicholas, the Leader of Egbema Voice of Freedom, remarked, “The ruptured pipeline remains unclamped by either Agip or Oando. The air is thick with gas fumes. The pipeline explosion was triggered by corrosion.
Although no casualties have been reported so far, the pipeline is under the operation of the Nigerian Agip Oil Company.”
He further emphasized, “These pipelines are relics of the past, having been laid in the early 60s when Agip first arrived in Onelga.
Now that Oando Plc has taken over Agip, it is high time for Oando to consider replacing these outdated pipelines with new ones, lest we witness more of such explosions.”
The inhabitants of Omoku Town have voiced their distress over the environmental, health, and lifestyle damages caused by NAOC’s exploration activities, which they claim have inflicted incalculable harm on the people of Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni LGA of Rivers State.
The fear of a possible fiery explosion has led many residents to abandon their homes. The community now anxiously awaits a swift and effective response from the relevant authorities.