Military and Community sources in Bayelsa on Sunday
described reports of militants attack on oil pipeline operated by Conoil in
Koluama 1, in Southern Ijaw LGA, Bayelsa as ‘fake news’.
Some online media had reported that a militant group had
blown up a pipeline within Conoil’s oilfield near the atlantic coastline in
Koluama 1 settlement.
Several sources in Koluama 1 community contacted by
telephone on Sunday said that they were not aware of the incident and denied
hearing the noise of the explosion claimed in the report.
James Dou, a resident in the area said that the area had
been peaceful since the new year with frequent patrols by the joint military
force in Koluama area dominating the waterways.
“I am in Koluama 1 as we speak and there is no report of
any attack on Conoil or any oil facility nearby, I did not hear any explosion
noise neither did I hear anyone discuss it,” Dou said.
Mr Mathew Sele-Epri, a Community leader in Koluama 1 and
Chairman, KEFFES Rural Development Board said the report is false.
“There was no such incident, like that, if it happened I should
have known, I have made contact with my people back home and there is nothing,
it is fake news,” the community leader said.
Major Ibrahim Abdullahi, Spokesman of the Joint Task
Force deployed to protect oil facilities in the Niger Delta described the
report as a hoax and the handiwork of mischief makers to misinform the public.
He said that the outfit had conducted checks to verify
the claim of attck by a militant group and found no substance in it.
“After exhaustive verifications following enquiries from
media practitioners, we found out that no such incident happened, we enjoin the
media to crosscheck their facts before rushing to the press to avoid publishing
falsehood like this,” Ibrahim said
No comments:
Post a Comment