Explosion rocks Nigeria’s foremost Trans-Niger pipeline in Rivers State 

The explosion reportedly occurred Monday night, triggering a fire along a critical section of the pipeline that exports crude oil to the Bonny Terminal.

It is currently unknown whether the incident was an act of sabotage, particularly in light of recent threats by militant groups to target oil facilities, in response to the Federal Government’s decision to withhold Rivers State’s allocation amid the ongoing political tensions.

The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the Rivers State Police Command confirmed the explosion.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, told NAN that details of the explosion were still unknown as of Tuesday morning.

She noted that investigations were ongoing and further information would be provided as investigations progressed.

The TNP which was formerly owned by the Shell Petroleum Development Company before being sold to Aiteo Group, has the capacity to produce 180,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

NAN reported that the explosion impacted a main section of the pipeline, quoting eyewitnesses.

The explosion comes amid heightened political tensions, following the Rivers State House of Assembly’s commencement of a legislative hearing on Gov. Siminalayi Fubara and his Deputy, Ngozi Odu, over alleged gross misconduct.

There are speculations that the House of Assembly may soon commence impeachment proceedings against the governor, who is having a rift with the former governor, Nyesom Wike.

Wike, the current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has said that nothing will happen if Governor Fubara is impeached.

“I have heard people say: ‘Oh if they impeach him, there will be a breakdown of law and order’. Rubbish! Nothing will happen,” Wike said.

The Supreme Court recently barred the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Accountant General of the Federation, and other agencies from releasing funds to the Government of Rivers State until it purges itself of what the court described as flagrant disobedience to court orders.

If the explosion causes a disruption of crude oil flow in the pipeline, it may affect Nigeria’s crude oil production, which according to recent data from the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), is below 1.5 million barrels per day.

According to the data, Nigeria’s daily average crude oil production for February 2025 was 1,465,006 barrels per day, dropping from 1,538,697 bpd in January.

The February production falls short of the country’s OPEC quota of 1.5 Mbps.

The February production falls short of the country’s OPEC quota of 1.5 Mbps.