The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has refuted reports of an explosion at the Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) in Rivers State urging the media and the public to disregard the report.

Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd, Olufemi Soneye made the clarification in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

The company clarified that what occurred was a flare incident, which has since been fully contained.

“There is no danger or health hazard to staff, the surrounding communities,

or the environment,” the statement said.

NNPC Ltd, in the statement urged the media and the public to disregard any reports suggesting an explosion at the refinery, maintaining that they are entirely false.

LEADERSHIP recalls that the rumoured explosion at the Port Harcourt Refinery was fueled by the explosion that rocked a major oil pipeline, the Trans-Niger Pipeline (TNP), at Bodo, Gokana local government area of Rivers State on Tuesday.

Hours after, another explosion occurred at an oil facility in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of the state, sending concerns about likely militant attack on oil facilities in the height of political development in the state