Less than a week after a massive explosion hit the Trans Niger Pipeline in Bodo, Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, another blast has been reported at the Soku oil facility in Akuku Toru Local Government Area.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), a grassroots NGO with extensive networks across the Niger Delta, confirmed the incident on Sunday.
In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, YEAC reported that its youth volunteers alerted them to an early-morning explosion at the Soku oil facility, operated by Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited.
According to the statement, an explosion accompanied by fireballs was heard and seen in the sky from the facility area, which is difficult to access.
The fire was still burning at the time of the report, but the cause of the explosion remains uncertain, with speculations pointing to possible equipment failure, sabotage, or a deliberate attack.
This marks the third explosion at oil facilities in Rivers State within a week after those in Gokana and Oga/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, which led President Bola Tinubu to declare a six-month state of emergency in the state on March 18.
The President suspended the Rivers State House of Assembly, Deputy Governor, and Governor Siminalayi Fubara, citing the governor’s alleged failure to protect vital oil infrastructure.
YEAC-Nigeria has called for an urgent investigation into the Soku explosion.
The group urged the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to conduct a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to determine the cause, stating that the perpetrators of the crime must be held accountable under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
