Suspected
Niger Delta militants have again attacked an oil facility in the
South-south region thereby affecting the daily production of crude oil
in Nigeria.
File Photo
An explosion rocked the Abura oil pipeline operated by the Nigerian
Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) in Ughelli, Delta State on Sunday.
Local sources confirmed the incident, though there have been conflicting reports about the cause of the explosion.
According to a report by ThisDay, security officers told reporters
that the explosion was caused by a malfunction. But many local residents
alleged that militants blew up the pipeline.
“Yes, there was a huge explosion on a pipeline known as Abura
line at about 7.45 p.m operated by NPDC but we are not sure whether it
was bombed or a fault,” a local told a reporter. The publication further reported that the military is investigating the matter.
The explosion was also confirmed by Ughelli South Local Government
Chairman Paul Etaga, who visited the site of the incident. He was joined
by Lieutenant-Colonel U.S. Abdulsalam and Ughelli South police officer
Oghenedoro Samuel.
No persons were injured or killed in the explosion. The fire
resulting from the explosion was swiftly extinguished by firefighters
from the nearby Otorogu Gas Plant, Punch Newspaper reported.
At the time of publication, no militant group had claimed responsibility for the explosion.
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