By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The management of Aiteo Group has disclosed that it was presently looking into the remote cause of the suspected explosion that occurred in the Niger Delta, within the vicinity of Nembe Creek Well 7, behind Mile 1 Community in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, on Saturday.
In a statement, the oil firm said preliminary investigations confirm into the unfortunate incident indicated that there were no fatalities; human incidents or damage to community property.
It was emphasised that, “All the wells and facilities in the immediate vicinity have been inspected and secured.”
Aiteo said in the statement that despite initial challenges, its operations team was able to access the well head area when the fire had completely died down on early hours of March 2, 2019, when the inferno happened.
However, the company noted that the suspected explosion did not occur at or involve any part of the 97 kilometre pipeline, Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL) or other pipelines.
“It is important to note that prior to this incident, all facilities have been shut down since 28 of February 2019 due to NCTL outage.
“Accordingly, any account suggesting that this incident arose from or affected any pipelines is wholly inaccurate and misleading,” the firm stressed.
“Full investigations to determine the cause of the fire and, in particular, to determine whether this may have been caused by third-party infractions, remain ongoing.
“These investigations are being pursed with the utmost urgency and are have been given the highest priority.
“We are continuing to work with all the relevant authorities to restore full functionality to all the relevant installations and affected areas,” the statement said.
Concluding, Aiteo expressed its “gratitude to all our stakeholders for your continuing support and understanding whilst urging calm and vigilance,” promising that, “As becomes necessary, we shall continue to share information on these developments in due course.”
Adedapo Adesanya 
Dipo Olowookere