{"id":243257,"date":"2026-06-25T07:53:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T07:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/abia-govt-blames-old-oil-pipeline-for-explosion-in-owaza-community\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T07:53:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T07:53:00","slug":"abia-govt-blames-old-oil-pipeline-for-explosion-in-owaza-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/abia-govt-blames-old-oil-pipeline-for-explosion-in-owaza-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Abia Govt blames old oil pipeline for\u00a0explosion in Owaza community\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Abia <\/a>State Government has said that a petroleum pipeline laid about seventy years ago is responsible for the explosion that occurred in Umuololo Owaza, Ukwa West LGA of the State.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0 pipeline, which is part of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 11,\u00a0 exploded at about 1:30 am\u00a0Monday, causing a serious oil spill that affected people\u2019s homes, farms, schools, shops and livestock.<\/p>\n

Inspecting the extent of damage, officials of the Abia <\/a>State government expressed concern about the environmental impacts the\u00a0 explosion had on residents of Umuololo.<\/p>\n

The State government\u2019s delegation led by\u00a0Commissioner for Environment, Philemon Asonye Ogbonna and Commissioner for Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Professor Joel Ogbonna,\u00a0 lamented that several buildings and\u00a0 other property were severely affected in Umuololo, though no life was lost.<\/p>\n

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Speaking at the site of the explosion, Abia <\/a>State Commissioner for Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Professor Joel Ogbonna said that preliminary findings showed that the exploded pipeline\u00a0 was laid about seventy years ago and should not have\u00a0 remained in use by 2026.<\/p>\n

He directed the oil company that owns the pipeline to immediately clean up the affected community and to replace the old pipeline, in order\u00a0 to prevent a future disaster.<\/p>\n

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Also, Abia <\/a>State Commissioner for Environment, Philemon Asonye Ogbonna, assured the affected villagers that the Abia <\/a>State government was closely monitoring the situation, saying that efforts were on to address the incident.<\/p>\n

Ogbonna said that the administration of Governor Alex <\/a>Otti is determined to protect Abia <\/a>communities from environmental pollution, degradation and other safety challenges.<\/p>\n

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One of the victims of the explosion, David Nwogu, said his house was extensively damaged by the incident.<\/p>\n

Nwogu claimed\u00a0 that the pipeline\u00a0 was laid in 1958 and was yet to receive adequate maintenance,\u00a0 alleging that the non-maintenance could have contributed to the explosion.<\/p>\n

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