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The Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) has condemned the gas pipeline explosion in Aleto, Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, calling for an independent investigation, accountability for negligence and the decommissioning or removal of pipelines found unsafe for continued operation.
The explosion, which occurred on October 15, 2026, reportedly damaged homes, shops and vehicles and injured residents.
“The incident raises urgent questions about pipeline maintenance, emergency preparedness, corporate responsibility and the protection of communities living alongside ageing petroleum infrastructure,” HOMEF said.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the organisation said it visited the scene on October 16 and documented disturbing accounts that the explosion was preceded by reports of a suspected gas leak along the same pipeline corridor.
HOMEF said the Youth President of Aleto and Secretary of the Eleme Youth Council Worldwide, Woke Ebie, disclosed that another leak had occurred about two months earlier, approximately 200 metres from the site of the latest explosion.
“A suspected leak happened about two weeks before this explosion; we reported it to the Nigerian Gas Infrastructure Company (NGIC), a subsidiary of NNPC Limited. The company representatives visited the location and erected a barricade, but the explosion occurred the following day,” Ebie said.
The Chairman of Eleme Local Government Area, Obarilomate Ollor, said the repeated pipeline incidents along the route called for a comprehensive assessment rather than repairs limited to visibly damaged sections.
“The pipeline could be at least 50 years old. A 50-year-old pipeline is beyond decrepit and should have been replaced or decommissioned long ago. We are concerned about its condition and about another gas leak that occurred along the same route weeks earlier.
“We call on the Federal Government to direct NGC to immediately assess the damage, establish the cause of the explosion, attend to victims, provide relief materials and undertake a comprehensive review of its pipeline network, including the replacement of ageing infrastructure where necessary,” Ollor said.
One of the victims, Esther Bright, reported damage to her shop, goods and phone. She also said she lost a point-of-sale (POS) bag containing about N100,000 while fleeing the explosion.
“I lost a POS bag containing approximately N100,000 while fleeing the explosion. We are struggling here financially, and even just to breathe. This explosion is already destroying livelihoods and pushing our households into financial distress,” she said.
The paramount ruler of Eleme, King Philip Osaro Obele, described the community’s plight, highlighting the area’s contribution to Nigeria’s economy and the environmental risks faced by its residents.
“Eleme is the heart and hub of Nigeria’s economy. We have two refineries, two fertiliser companies, a petrochemical plant, Onne Deep Sea and Light Terminals, Shell flow stations, and the largest NNPC Housing Estate in the East.
“Pipelines criss-cross our land to serve the nation. We are the golden bird that lays the golden eggs, but after taking our resources, they kill us with pollution and explosions,” Obele said.
He also raised concerns about acid rain, damaged roofing sheets, unsafe drinking water, declining soil fertility and reported health problems, calling for urgent government intervention.
“I join the chairman’s call for a state of emergency covering the entire Eleme Local Government Area, rather than Aleto alone, and urge the Federal Government and NGC to take immediate steps to address recurring gas leaks and safeguard lives and property,” he said.
Meanwhile, HOMEF has insisted that the pipeline’s installation date, maintenance history and structural integrity must be established.
The organisation maintained that pipelines found to be ageing or unfit for continued operation should be decommissioned or removed, warning that repeated repairs leave communities exposed to unacceptable risks and cannot be considered an adequate response.
“Communities must not be treated as expendable corridors for extractive infrastructure, and the burden of preventing industrial disasters falls on operators and the institutions mandated to regulate them, not on residents forced to flee explosions and rebuild their lives,” HOMEF said.
The organisation called on the Federal Government to direct the NGIC, NNPC Limited and relevant regulatory agencies to investigate the explosion, publish their findings, establish the technical cause of the incident and determine whether there were failures in the emergency response.
It also called for unsafe pipelines to be decommissioned or removed and for a comprehensive integrity assessment of the affected pipeline corridor to be conducted before operations resume.
HOMEF further urged regulatory bodies to investigate possible operational failures and impose appropriate sanctions where negligence or breaches of applicable obligations are established.
The organisation further demanded medical assistance and fair compensation for injured residents and those whose homes, businesses and livelihoods were damaged.
It also called for community participation in safety assessments, monitoring and decisions affecting residents.