The Police say a major oil pipeline exploded on Friday in Bayelsa, forcing nearby residents to flee and raised suspicions of possible sabotage.
The Nembe Creek Trunk pipeline runs from an oil terminal in Bonny to the state of Bayelsa with capacity of 150,000 barrels per day.
A public relations official for Aiteo, the company that manages the pipeline, Ndiana-Abasi Mathew also confirmed the incident on Saturday.
Oyinkro Jasper, a local chief from Kalablomi, one of the affected communities, said the blast forced hundreds of residents to flee as it caused “a huge inferno” along the pipeline, which ran through six communities.
PUNCH/BEN