Following Friday’s explosion on a crude oil pipeline- 97 Kilometre Nembe Creek trunk (NCTL)- managed by Aiteo Exploration, the company has debunked allegations that lives were lost in the inferno which lasted till the later part of Saturday.
The company has said the inferno had been put out without loss of life. The inferno at the 150, 000 barrel-per-day capacity pipeline will affect the nation’s crude oil export volume.
There are also fears that the explosion would affect the lives of the residents of Nembe community contaminating their source of drinking water and causing air pollution. Members of the community who spoke to the press expressed fear that transportation, fishing and other sources of livelihood in the community would be badly hit.
They appealed to the regulatory agencies in charge of the oil industry to swing into action quickly with a view to determining the remote and immediate causes of the inferno. There were also appeals for material assistance to the residents of the community following the tragedy.