By Ayo Kehinde
The Community Development Committee (CDC), Soku Kingdom, in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State has urged the public to disregard reports of an explosion at the Soku gas facility, operated by Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited.
Earlier, the Executive Director of Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, reported that its youth volunteers network reported loud sound accompanied with fireballs at the gas facility on Sunday morning.
However, a statement signed by the General Secretary of the CDC, Soku Kingdom, Witness Alasia, dismissed the reports as false.
“On behalf of the Leadership of Soku Kingdom, I write to debunk the falsehood escalating in all social media that there was an explosion in the Soku Gas Plant.
“It is disheartening and worrisome that people will mischievously be misinforming the public with a baseless and untrue story.
“Soku Gas Plant is safe and in a perfect working condition. The public should disregard this unguided and untrue report.
“We use this medium to inform the public that Soku and her Satellite Communities are safe and calm”, he stated.
He assured residents and the general public that the Soku community and its satellite settlements remain peaceful and secure.
Similarly, Renaissance Energy the indigenous oil company operating the Soku gas plant, has refuted claims of a blast or fire incident at the facility.
A statement by the company’s communications manager, Bamidele Odugbesan, urged the media and the public to verify information before spreading unconfirmed reports, which could cause unnecessary panic.
“We wish to categorically state that there was no gas explosion or fire incident at our Soku facility. Our operations are ongoing without any disruption, and all safety protocols remain in place”, he said.
The company emphasised its commitment to safety and environmental standards, assuring stakeholders and the public that its facilities are regularly monitored to prevent such incident.
