PICTURES OF SCENES OF PIPE OIL
FIRES AT ADEJE IN NIGERIA'S NIGER DELTA (Recorded By BBC)
July 2000
Adeje petroleum fire broke out
on Monday, 10 July, 2000, from pipelines owned by the Federal Government
of Nigeria. It burned for days. In two separate reports several months
previously,
on 11 January 2000
and on 14 February
2000
, Environmental Rights Action, Nigeria's premier environmental advocacy
group, had warned about these impending dangers from troubled oil pipelines.
No adequate action was taken to prevent the disaster to which these pictures
now bear witness. The troubled pipelines were laid near communities about
twenty-five years ago. Apart from ageing from lack of proper maintenance,
the pipes have been subjected to vandalization by sophisticated thieves who
use equipment that are only available to insiders who have worked in the industry.
The victims are the local communities which lie near the areas where Nigeria's
Federal Government laid these pipes without consultation or any risk assessment.
