Community Protest Over Agip Oil Pipeline Explosion In Bayelsa

The people of Ayamassa community in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State have prepared for a showdown with the Nigerian Agip Oil Company over a pipeline explosion that occurred in the community last week.

The trunkline, which is said to be owned by Agip, reportedly exploded last Tuesday and was allegedly in flames for two days before the firm’s contractors came to put out the fire without due consultation with the community leaders.

The Ayamassa community-folks claimed that explosion which rocked the area devastated the community’s means of livelihood.

They, therefore, gave the management of the oil major one-week ultimatum to comply with due process following the pipeline fire, saying that non-compliance might be visited with the shutdown of activities of the oil company.

The Ayamassa-Toumo trunkline, which exploded and caught fire last week, reportedly destroyed farming and aquatic life of the community.

Reacting to the incident, the Chairman, Ijaw Youth Council, Central Zone, Tare Porri, noted that youths from the community were currently ”spoiling for war”, threatening to shut down the operations of the platform.

Porri said, “Ayamassa end of the trunk line got exploded and the fire was on for two days before Agip’s pipeline contractors put it out and left the community without a word.

”Up until now, the community has not heard from them and the community folks are now threatening to shut down the operations of that platform.”

Porri lamented that it was sad that neither Agip nor government agencies visited the site or the community to access the damages caused by the explosion.

He noted that the most of the pipelines crisscrossing the entire zone had expired, calling on the oil companies to replace them in the interest of peace and security.