A cooking gas explosion at Nobpet Filling Station on Aba Road, Port Harcourt, destroyed over eight vehicles, damaged two buildings, and injured five people yesterday.
The incident also partially burnt a nearby church and lounge, causing widespread panic in the area.Eyewitnesses reported that fabrication work at the gas plant inside the filling station likely ignited the fire.
Mr. Emmanuel Ninyaegwu, a commercial driver whose bus was destroyed, recounted his narrow escape:“I was getting ready to load my vehicle when I heard the fire. I fell, got up, and ran just before it blew. Some people were injured, including me. Nobody died.”
Efforts to control the blaze involved multiple agencies, including the Federal Fire Service, Rivers State Fire Service, Nigerian Air Force Fire Service, and Renaissance Fire Service. However, the fire service initially ran out of water, delaying containment until Air Force assistance arrived.
Mr. Anthony Ofoke, supervisor of Ebonyi State Transport Corporation, described the incident as “a big calamity, and unexpected thing that just happened.”
He appealed to the government to prevent filling stations from being built near residential areas.In a related development, Renaissance Energy, which operates Nigeria’s Trans Niger oil pipeline, announced it has halted production following an operational incident.
The pipeline, a key conduit transporting crude to the Bonny export terminal, was isolated after a spill in the B-Dere community, Ogoniland, confirmed to be an operational failure.Michael Adande, Renaissance’s spokesperson, said, “With co-operation from the B-Dere community, our experts accessed the site, clamped the pipeline and recovered spilled oil, with clean-up preparations now underway.”
The Trans Niger Pipeline handles about 450,000 barrels of crude per day, making this shutdown a significant disruption to Nigeria’s oil exports.
The combined incidents have sparked concerns over safety and operational risks in the region, underscoring the urgent need for stricter regulations and infrastructure oversight.
