The BBC Africa Eye has uncovered new evidence that portrays the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC) claim that the Abule-Ado gas explosion was caused by the collision of a truck with gas cylinders near its petroleum pipelines as false.
According to new emerging video clips taken just five minutes before the blast, there was a dangerous leak of vaporised liquid at the exact location where NNPC’s network of high-pressure pipelines run. The video clips were obtained from two different live streams occurring just within the shockwave’s reach.
According to the BBC Africa Eye, a deep analysis of gas cylinders found at the site of the blast showed that there was no logical way the cylinders could have been at the site when the explosion occurred.
About 14 LPG cylinders were found more than 80 metres away from the explosion’s epicentre, a fair distance away from each other. Almost all the cylinders were practically undamaged, ruling out the possibility of the blast being caused by gas cylinders.
This was in addition to evidence revealing that there was no gas processing plant found within the explosion’s epicentre.
Also, eyewitnesses insisted that they never saw any gas cylinder or a collision but stated firmly that the leak emerged from a ground beside the truck in question.
Three specialist engineers, also agreed that the leak of vaporised liquid most likely came from the pipelines, rather than the gas cylinders.
HOWEVER, NNPC has denied claims that appropriate safety measures were not taken to protect the pipeline, stating that there was no leakage of vaporised fluid prior to the explosion.
“NNPC pipelines comply with safety and regulatory guidelines,” it said.
It further stated that it had worked hand in hand with the Lagos State government to provide a relief fund worth N2 billion for victims of the explosion.
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