A recent pipeline explosion has been reported at the Soku oil facility in the Akuku Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State. This incident follows another explosion that affected the Trans Niger Pipeline in Bodo just a week prior.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), a grassroots NGO active in the Niger Delta, confirmed the explosion through a statement from its executive director, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface. According to the report, an early morning explosion was accompanied by fireballs, with the fire still ongoing as of the latest updates.
The cause of the explosion remains uncertain, with possibilities ranging from equipment failure to sabotage. This incident marks the third explosion at oil facilities in Rivers State within a week, raising concerns over the safety of the region’s oil infrastructure.
The previous explosions included incidents in Ogoni and the Oga/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, and were referenced by President Bola Tinubu during a recent nationwide address, where he declared a six-month state of emergency in Rivers State.
Stakeholders in the Niger Delta are increasingly alarmed, given the region’s ongoing struggles with environmental degradation and security issues linked to oil production. As fires continue to blaze at the Soku facility, calls for urgent investigations and improved security measures around oil infrastructure are intensifying.
