An explosion has occurred at the Soku oil facility in Akuku Toru Local Government Area, Rivers State. The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEACNigeria), a grassroots NGO with strong networks across the Niger Delta, confirmed the latest explosion yesterday.

Executive Director, YEACNigeria, Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, said the NGO received reports from its youth volunteers about an early morning explosion at the Soku oil facility operated by Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited.

He called for an urgent investigation into the Soku explosion and urged the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to conduct a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to determine the cause.

He said: “An explosion accompanied by fireballs was heard and seen in the sky from the facility area, which is difficult to reach. The fire is still ongoing as of the time of this report.

“Perpetrators of this crime must be held accountable in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), 2021.” The cause of the explosion had yet to be determined.

However, the leadership of the Soku refuted the reports of an explosion at the Soku gas facility. It said the reports were misleading and urged the public to disregard such claims.

The General Secretary of the community, Mr. Witness Alasia, in a statement issued on behalf of the community leadership, denied the incident.

He described the reports as “baseless and untrue,” adding that the Soku Gas Plant remains in perfect working condition. He, however, acknowledged that there was a fire outbreak along the Soku-Abua-Rumuji gas pipeline right of way but said the cause of the fire-outbreak had not been known. Alasia said:

“On behalf of the leadership of the Soku Kingdom, I write to debunk the falsehood escalating on all social media that there was an explosion in the Soku Gas Plant. It is disheartening and worrisome that people will mischievously misinform the public with a baseless and untrue story. Soku Gas Plant is safe and in perfect working condition.

“The public should disregard this unguided and untrue report. We use this medium to inform the public that Soku and her satellite communities are safe and calm.”

Recall that last week two explosions occurred in Rivers State, which is currently under a state of emergency. The first explosion occurred at the TransNiger Pipeline (TNP), which is one of Nigeria’s largest oil pipelines.

The incident occurred near Bodo-Bonny Road, Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, which is currently under construction by Julius Berger Nigeria Plc. through a joint funding partnership between Nigeria LNG Limited and the Federal Government of Nigeria.

TNP is a major oil transportation artery in Nigeria, has a capacity of approximately 450,000 barrels per day (bpd). However, actual transported volumes have varied due to factors such as oil theft and vandalism.

As of March 2024, improved security measures led to an increase in transported crude, with volumes exceeding 200,000 bpd over the preceding six months.

The second explosion rocked at a Manifold Connecting federal line in the Okwawriwa in Ogba/ Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) of Rivers State, sending massive flames and thick plumes of smoke into the sky.

Last week President Bola Tinubu placed the oil-rich state under a state of emergency on the ground of a breakdown of law and order and a number of pipeline explosions.

He also suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy and the state House of Assembly for six months and placed ViceAdmiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd) in charge of the state as Sole Administrator.