Simon Utebor, Yenagoa
Unidentified persons have attacked oil facilities operated by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) at Ikarama community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
A youth leader in Ikarama near the incident site, Mr. Ben Warder, said on Tuesday that residents heard several sounds from the explosions that rocked the oil fields on Monday but were too scared to approach the area.
He noted: “The site is not far from Ikarama. We heard sounds from the blast and it sounded like dynamites and it was not safe to go near. So when the situation became quiet, we had to trace what happened and it turned out that Shell’s gas pipeline and Agip’s crude lines were destroyed.
“The incident resulted in air pollution from the gas pipeline and crude leak which members of the affected communities are battling to cope with.”
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Confirming the incident on Tuesday, an SPDC spokesperson, Mr. Michael Adande, explained that the oil firm had received reports of the incident and shut down the facility to curtail further impact.
Adande said: “We have a report of interference on our pipeline about one kilometer from the Ikarama community in Yenagoa LGA of Bayelsa State.
“We immediately shut down the line and we have informed the relevant regulatory government agencies and stakeholders.
“A government-led joint investigation team will determine the cause of the interference.”
