Residents of Aleto community in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State are counting their losses following a gas pipeline explosion that injured more than 20 people and destroyed over 50 houses and several vehicles.
The explosion, which occurred on Thursday, triggered panic as residents fled for safety, while the injured were reportedly rushed to hospitals in Port Harcourt for treatment.
During a visit to the community on Friday, security operatives from the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Police Force had cordoned off the affected area to prevent further casualties.
The Chairman of Eleme Local Government Council, Chief Obarilomate Ollor, called on the federal government to declare an emergency in the area and direct the Nigeria Gas Company (NGC), a subsidiary of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited, to investigate the incident and address the condition of the pipeline.
Ollor expressed concern that another pipeline incident had occurred within weeks of an earlier gas leak along the same corridor, raising suspicions about the condition of the infrastructure.
“A few weeks ago, we had another eruption of the pipeline. There was a gas leak, and it was also along this same route,” he said.
Although he stressed that the suspected deterioration of the pipeline had yet to be established through a technical investigation, the council chairman said the recurring incidents posed a growing threat to residents.
“We are appealing to the federal government to direct NGC to immediately move to the site, assess the level of damage and establish the primary cause of this incident,” Ollor said.
He added that the intervention should go beyond repairing the ruptured section to include a comprehensive assessment of the pipeline network and possible replacement of ageing infrastructure.
“We have to go into a very deep review and know what needs to be done. There should be an emergency in this area. It should not be neglected until hundreds or thousands of people have died before it is treated as an emergency,” he said.
Ollor also noted that the affected pipeline was believed to have been in place for decades, adding that the road had been barricaded pending a proper assessment by the relevant authorities.
The paramount ruler of Eleme, King Philip Obele, described the incident as another devastating setback for a community hosting major oil, gas and industrial facilities.
He lamented that despite the concentration of critical national infrastructure in Eleme, residents continued to face environmental and safety challenges.
“Our buildings are surrounded by pipelines carrying crude oil and gas. You need to pray for Eleme people; our area is heavily polluted, and we are suffering from different types of diseases,” he said.
Obele called for urgent government intervention, expressing concern over the destruction of homes and the impact on residents whose livelihoods had been affected.
A resident, Chima Ude, said people were going about their daily activities when the explosion occurred.
“We were just working outside when we heard a loud sound. When we turned, it was an explosion from the gas pipeline. It started pumping and kept pumping,” he said.
Another resident, Ngofa Jane, said several people were injured as they scrambled to escape.
“People were running and falling. One woman who has a shop close to the pipeline was thrown away by the explosion. It was God that decided that the woman should not die,” she said, appealing for government assistance.
Obari Justice, a resident expressed gratitude that no deaths had been reported despite the extensive destruction.
“We thank God that there was no loss of life. It is just that a lot of properties were damaged,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Leader of the Eleme Legislative Council, Daniel Chuma, alleged that authorities had previously been alerted to a pipeline leak involving NGC.
He said the council had written to the company and petitioned the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency and the Rivers State Ministry of Environment, with the police copied, seeking urgent intervention.
Chuma further alleged that no representative of the company had visited the explosion site as of the time of his assessment.
Residents and community leaders are demanding immediate intervention, compensation for affected households, medical assistance for victims and a thorough investigation into the cause of the explosion.
Blessing Ibunge
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