Survivors of a gas pipeline explosion in Aleto community, Eleme Local Council of Rivers State, have demanded compensation for their losses, alleging that warnings about a suspected leak were ignored before the blast destroyed homes and businesses and injured several residents.

The explosion occurred last Thursday along Old Bori Road following a reported gas leak from a pipeline belonging to NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company Limited, a subsidiary of NNPC Limited.

More than 50 houses and shops were reportedly damaged, while about 20 people sustained injuries.

A shop owner and victim, identified simply as Esther, said she was attending to customers when she heard a loud explosion. As she and others rushed outside to find out what had happened, another blast followed, scattering goods and forcing her to flee.

“I could not wait to take anything. The only things I managed to escape with were my Point-of-Sale (PoS) machine and phones,” she said.

Esther, who sustained injuries while escaping, said she fell and lost a bag containing about N100,000. A woman who recognised her at a nearby junction took her to a pharmacy, where she received first aid and medication.

Another trader, Nkechi Nduka, popularly known as Mama Tochi, said she and two of her children were taken to hospital after the explosion. She returned to her shop the following morning to assess the damage.

Describing the incident as terrifying, she commended community youths for helping to rescue residents and evacuate the injured, urging the government to provide relief and prevent a recurrence.

Eleme youth president, Woke John Abiye, alleged that community leaders had reported suspected pipeline leaks to the company before the explosion. He said a similar incident occurred about two months earlier, while another leak was noticed about two weeks before Thursday’s blast.

According to him, company representatives visited the location and erected a barricade, but the danger was not resolved before the explosion.

He called on the federal and Rivers State governments to ensure a proper assessment and replacement of the pipeline.

The Executive Director of the Youth and Environmental Advocacy Centre, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, urged the Nigerian Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency and other regulators to investigate the cause and publish their findings.

He demanded the rebuilding of damaged homes, payment of medical bills, compensation for property and business losses, and environmental remediation where necessary.

The Onne-Eleme traditional ruler, King Philip Osaro Obele, lamented the risks faced by communities surrounded by oil and gas facilities, warning that residents might protest if urgent assistance was not provided.

Similarly, the Resource Justice Network’s Rivers State Coordinator, Rita Kigbara, called for an independent investigation into whether earlier warnings were received and whether operational or regulatory failures contributed to the incident.

NNPC Limited confirmed that the pipeline belonged to its subsidiary, NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company Limited. It said emergency response procedures had been activated, the affected section isolated, and assessments of the impact on residents, property and the environment were ongoing.