WARRI- A fresh gas explosion has occurred on the Escravos to Warri Gas pipeline owned by the Nigerian Gas Processing and Transportation Company Limited, formerly known as Nigerian Gas Company at Ikpokpo Community, Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State.
Daily Watch gathered that the leakage was noticed in the early hours of Saturday, 2nd of December, 2017. A community source said there was massive emission of gas into the environment throughout the weekend before the line was shut down by the Company.
It would be recalled that there was an earlier explosion of the same gas pipeline on the 25th of August, 2017 within the same environment. However, despite meeting with NOSDRA officials and community representatives, the company carried out the repairs of the leaked gas pipeline with through military intimidation without carrying out a joint investigation visit to ascertain the cause of the explosion.
Even when a joint investigation visit was carried out, officials of the Nigerian Gas Company refused to sign the relevant JIV forms
According Edwin Odudu, a leader of the affected communities told Daily Watch that the affected Gbaramatu Kingdom communities are Ikpokpo, Okpele-Ama, Otogbene, Atanba and Opuedebubo.
Mr. Odudu appealled to President Buhari, the Minister of Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, the Senate and the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr. Baru to come to their rescue to avoid the effect of the explosion.
‘‘The residents of the communities are now living in fear of imminent fire outbreak from the gas explosion with the Nigerian Gas Processing and Transportation company not showing any concern over the plight of the affected communities’’ he lamented.
