The National Oil Detection and Remediation Agency, NOSDRA, has said the inferno that killed dozens of people in Komkom community in Oyigbo Local Government Area was man made.
Head of NOSDRA in Port Harcourt, Cyrus Nkanwang stated this while speaking with newsmen on the outcome of its report on the incident.
Nkanwang said the Joint Investigation Visit to the site revealed that the spill affected over twenty hectares of land, just as he called on the companies operating the pipelines to mobilise and commence work towards cleaning the site to avoid spread of diseases.
“We gathered that when the pipeline started leaking people rushed to the scene and started scooping. Some sources in the community told us that the fire was ignited after a police officer shot around the scene. They said the police was trying to scare the people away and immediately he release his bullet the fire sparked.
“The second source said that somebody was holding a phone and as his phone rang, it sparked the fire but most of the security reports show that the fire started after the gunshot.
“We discovered that the area was filled with dead bodies and other organisms that died in the process. So we have ordered for an immediate remediation of that land to enable the restoration of proper living in the area,” he said.
DAILY POST recalls that an explosion from a pipeline belonging to Pipeline and Product Marketing Company, PPMC killed dozens of persons last month at Kom Kom in Oyinbo Council area of Rivers State.
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