Senator Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, who represents Rivers West Senatorial District, has called for an urgent investigation into a series of explosions at NNPCL facilities within Oil Mining Lease (OML) 18.
Harry-Banigo is the immediate past Deputy Governor of Rivers State.
The affected areas include Bonny and Degema Local Government Areas.
The latest explosion happened two days ago near Cawthorne Channel in Bonny, following another blast just two weeks earlier in Bukuma (Agum) in Degema.
Describing the incidents as alarming, Senator Harry-Banigo said, “The recurrence of these fire outbreaks within the same OML 18 location in such a short time is deeply troubling.” She said that “any responsible society, organization, or institution should consider this a matter of grave concern.”
She further urged NNPCL, the operators of OML 18, to conduct a thorough investigation. The probe, she said, must uncover both the immediate causes and the deeper issues behind the explosions and fires. Additionally, she emphasized the need to assess their impact on the environment and the livelihoods of local communities.