Bayelsa community wants probe of explosion at Agip’s oil field
(Nigeria) Some residents of Olugboboro in Southern Ijaw
Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, have called for investigation into the
March 26 explosion that killed three oil workers in the area.
The residents made the call in separate interviews in
Olugboboro on Sunday.
A recent explosion occurred at an oil field operated by
Nigeria Agip Oil Company, NAOC,in the area on March 26, killing three workers.
Another blast occurred in the company’s oil field at
Azuzuama on July 9, 2015 leaving 14 people dead.
Dr Peter Irabor, Director-General, National Oil Spills
Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, who confirmed the loss of lives in the
March 26 explosion, attributed it to poor safety procedures at the oil field.
Mr Ebidimie Ugbe, spokesperson of Olugboboro Community
Development Committee, said he was worried about the frequency of explosions in
the area and the number of lives being lost.
He said that the explosions that took 17 lives within eight
months in the area cast doubts on the safety measures taken by the oil firm.
``After the incident, the Oil and Gas Task Force came into
our community with some men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and
urged us to show them where the oil spillage occurred. We led them to the site.
But some people are now insinuating that the community is culpable; I stand to
say that our people are not part of the cause of the oil spill.
``We did not know what caused the spill and we do not know
about plans to sabotage the oil facility. What I am saying is that they should
investigate it,” he said.
Another resident, Mr Iboro Biekiri, urged the government to
investigate the cause of frequent explosions at Agip’s oil fields in the area.
``The actual cause of the frequent blasts should be properly
investigated rather than some people insinuating that the fire was caused by
explosives,’’ Biekiri said.
Meanwhile officials of NAOC and its parent company, Eni had
declined comments on the incidents.
Mr Fillippo Cotalini, Media Relations Manager at Eni, was
yet to respond to the message sent to him via his e-mail, on the March 26
pipeline explosion
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