By: Felix Ikpotor
There is panic in Sangama community in Bonny local council of Rivers State as people are now deserting the area following gas leak from a facility owned by the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company (NPDC).
The facility was formerly owned by Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, who divested it to NPDC.
The people are afraid that there could be a repeat of the 2020 gas leak in Bonny which led to many deaths and other health challenges to residents could reoccur.
Iyalla Jumbo, youth leader of the area who confirmed situation to newsmen expressed regrets that since last Saturday the leak was noticed, nothing has been done to curb it.
“There is gas leakage again in the community, I called Shell informing them about the leakage that has happened again so they said they are going to respond to shutdown the leakage, bit as we speak, we have not seen them and when this thing happened the noise and smell from the leakage is so severe that people have to flee the community for their lives. As I speak to you now Sangama is deserted,” he said.
Jumbo also said that there is urgent need for relevant authorities to respond to the situation and mitigate further impact if the gas leakage on the community.
“The place should be cleaned up because as it is now the economic lives of the people have been affected. We from this area we are majorly into fishing and it has been affected. Also, the inhaling of has can reduce life expectancy of people in the area,” he said.
The youth leader called in relevant authorities to respond quickly and move people away from the area.
Meanwhile, the authority of Bonny local council says it is aware of the gas leakage that occurred in the community and efforts are already in place to bring the situation under control.
The council in a statement by Boma Waribor, deputy press secretary to the chairman, Dame Anengi Fubara said attempts by the council to interface with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), to take up responsibility for the gas leakage was not successful as SPDC claimed it had sold the facility to the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company Limited (NPDC).
He said the council is currently working towards ensuring NPDC takes full responsibility for the situation and advised residents to remain calm as no stone would be left unturned in a bid to completely arrest the situation.
