The Management of Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Co. has clarified Saturday’s fire incident resulting from an explosion within the vicinity of Nembe Creek Well 7, behind Mile 1 Community in Bayelsa State, which is not too far from Nembe field logistics base (FLB).

“Despite initial challenges, our operations team were able to access the well head area when the fire had completely died down on early hours of 2nd March,” the company said in a statement made available to News Express.

It said that “preliminary investigations confirm that there were no fatalities; human incidents or damage to community property. All the wells and facilities in the immediate vicinity have been inspected and secured.”

Continuing, Aiteo, Nigeria’s leading indigenous oil player, said: “This incident did not occur at or involve any part of the 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.

“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.

“In the time being, we express our gratitude to all our stakeholders for your continuing support and understanding whilst urging calm and vigilance.

“As becomes necessary, we shall continue to share information on these developments in due course.”