The Senate, on Wednesday, set up an investigating committee to look into circumstances around the pipeline explosion that killed 15 people in Komkom community of Rivers.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the explosion, according to the presentation made by Sen. Sekibo George (Rivers East), who moved the motion, also wounded over 50 others.
President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, appointed Sen. Ibrahim Gobi (Sokoto APC) head of the committee.
Lawan tasked the committee to look into the remote cause of the incident which occurred in Oyigbo Local Government Area of the state on June 22.
The Senate also mandated the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC),
Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) to improve on the security of the nation’s oil pipelines. It also directed National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to visit the area and provide succor to victims.
Sekibo who led debate on the motion explained that the explosion led to loss of properties worth millions of Naira.
He said that “Such explosions have always brought irreparable devastating consequences on the people and the affected areas, as is often, such explosions usually change the environment and the livelihood of the people in the area.
“Occurrence of similar incidents that took place in the following areas which left scars of the devastation that are still fresh in our minds, including: The Soku explosion about eight (8) years ago that took hundreds of life and still kept many people maimed;
“The NNPC Jetty at Okrika explosion about seven years ago claimed the lives of over seventy (70) persons and left many persons maimed.
“The complete devastation of Ogoni Land for which help for remediation is still being sought; and on 22nd June, 2019 over fifteen (15) persons were identified dead and over fifty (50) persons with different level of physical injuries.
“Several of such explosions have taken place in many parts of Rivers State with the usual attendant huge casualties.”
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