CURRENT REPORT BLOG A gas pipeline belonging to the Nigeria Agip Oil Company has exploded in Obagi community Rivers State causing residents to flee their homes.
No life was lost in the explosion which occurred on Wednesday evening, though it destroyed the surrounding fauna and caused great panic in the area.
It was reported that the gas pipeline near the Grace Orphanage Home, on Egbada Road in Omoku Main Town, was leaking.
Given that it was constructed in the 1960s, it was claimed that an equipment malfunction caused the gas pipeline to rapture.
Pastor Evaristus Nicholas, the Leader of Egbema Voice of Freedom, stated that the pipelines needed to be replaced right away because they were outdated.
Speaking also, the community’s traditional leader, Eze Elemele, claimed that although the gas leak had been identified since mid-2023, Agip and Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas had both denied ownership of the facility in a letter written to them.
“The gas leak had been going on since June last year. We wrote to Agip and NLNG but after inspection, they both said the pipeline wasn’t theirs.
“Now, it exploded and Agip has finally admitted that it’s their own” He said.
The community’s members are also outraged by what they perceive to be NAOC’s negligence, as they claim the company failed to do an adequate Environmental Impact Assessment prior to constructing a pipeline in the community.
The Obagi gas explosion occurred barely a month after a similar incident allegedly claimed lives in Omoku West also in the same Local Government Area.
