Disquiet as Police confirm explosion at Trans-Niger pipeline in Rivers

There is emerging disquiet over seeming renewed hostilities in the Niger Delta as the Rivers State Police Command confirmed that an explosion occurred at the Trans-Niger Pipeline (TNP) at Bodo, Gokana Local Government Area of the state.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Grace Iringe-Koko, in a media interation in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, said that details of the explosion were still sketchy, assuring that further information would be provided as investigations progressed, according to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The explosion, which occurred on Monday midnight, damaged the pipeline transporting crude to the Bonny Terminal, a key crude oil export facility.

The TNP, formerly owned by the Shell Petroleum Development Company, was later sold to Aiteo Group, and has the capacity to produce 180,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

Eyewitness reports revealed that the explosion impacted a main section of the pipeline, though the exact cause remains unknown.

The explosions comes amid heightened political tensions, following the Rivers State House of Assembly’s issuance of report of gross misconduct to Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his Deputy, Ngozi Odu, paving the way for impeachment.