Fear of fire, tension in Abia communities as NNPC pipeline bursts

There is apprehension in Amaibo and Amiyiuhu communities in Isuikwuato Local Government Area of Abia State following the rupture of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation pipeline that passes through the area.
The oil spillage, which was detected on August 30, according to sources in the communities, had polluted their only source of drinking water.
Conducting journalists round the site on Wednesday, the member representing Isuikwuato in the Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Uloma Onuoha, appealed to the Federal Government and management of the NNPC to quickly repair the leakage to avoid fire disaster.
She said quick intervention was needed to save the communities from impending doom posed by the spillage.
The lawmaker also appealed to youths in the area to stay away from the burst pipelines to avoid any ugly incident.
In their separate contributions, the traditional rulers of the two communities, His Royal Highnesses Eze Barnabas Okoronkwo  and Ifeanyichukwu Ugoagha, lamented that their farmlands had also been damaged by the spillage.
They recalled that no fewer than 100 people in the communities lost their lives in 2003 following a pipeline explosion.
The traditional rulers said quick intervention was needed so that youths of the area would not be tempted to scoop oil from the spillage to avoid severe consequences associated with such actions.
Adding his voice, a youth leader in the area and the head of guards securing the pipeline, Mr. Aloysius Agu, said they had reported to NNPC when they noticed the spillage.
He attributed the cause of the spillage to weak pipelines, which he said were due for replacement.
Agu, who said a technical team from NNPC had visited the site, called for urgent intervention  to save the people from the impending disaster.