Residents of Umuchem in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers state have called on government for help over an oil spill from a pipeline belonging to the Shell Petroleum Development Company, expressing fears that the incident could lead to an explosion.

It was gathered that the spill occurred on Wednesday, even as some residents started scooping the product.

Some residents, who called on the regulatory bodies, including Shell, to deploy safety measures, claimed that the spill had caused damage to their environment.

One of them said, “When this thing happened, we called the Rivers State emergency lines several times. They told us to hold on. But nothing happened. Shell should bring fire service here if they care about us.”

“This particular place now, we are sleeping with one eye open because this is hazardous. Anything like fire can happen here. So, we need the government to come and assist us,” another resident stated.

In the meantime, the media relations manager of Shell, Bamidele Odugbesan, said the company received a report of the spill in its pipeline between Agbada FS and Rukpokwu Manifold.

“We immediately activated the emergency and spill response teams and the pipeline was shut down, isolated and depressurised the same day to stop the flow of crude oil. We also secured the site for safety,” he added.

The Rivers State Government, however, warned residents to stay away from the leaked pipeline, urging them to be mindful of the consequences.