By Perez Brisibe

TUOMO—THE people of Tuomo, Bomadi and Ayamasa communities in Delta and Bayelsa states, yesterday, said they had concluded moves to drag Nigeria Agip Oil Company, NAOC, to court over the company’s refusal to take responsibility for the July 11 leak on the Tuomo/Ogbonbiri gas pipeline that allegedly led to an inferno, which damaged farm crops in the affected communities worth millions of Naira.

The communities also raised the alarm that locals have been exposed to airborne diseases as a result of the frequent gas leakages from the NAOC’s worn-out pipeline, adding that the company has 14 days to stop operations in the areas.

A statement by Community Development Committee, CDC, Chair-men for Bomadi, Ayamasa and Tuomo communities, Joseph Bekesouyeibo, Zipamone Teddy and Demobo Joseph, respectively, said Agip alleged that the incident was caused by an external factor, hence it would not take responsibility for the incident.

Contacted, a manage-ment staff of the company, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said following a JIV on the pipeline, it was confirmed that “the incident was caused by an external factor and the three CDC Chairmen signed the JIV report in attestation to this fact.”