Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — A viral video circulating on social media alleging that suspected militants bombed two NNPC Ltd flow stations at Cawthorne Channel in Rivers State is false and misleading, an investigation by SweetCrude Reports has confirmed.
The Claim
On Wednesday, March 19, 2025, a video showing a massive fire at an oil facility surfaced on TikTok and Facebook, sparking claims that militants had resumed attacks on oil and gas installations in the Niger Delta amid the political crisis in Rivers State.
A TikTok user, Laugh and Learn (L&L), posted the video with the caption: “Breaking News: A fire has engulfed two NNPC flow stations at Cawthorne Channel 1, located near the boundary between Bonny LGA and Degema LGA in Rivers State, with the blaze commencing at 3 AM on Wednesday.”
The video, which bore the Izon-Ijaw TV watermark, garnered over 5,000 likes, 616 comments, and 750 shares.
Similarly, Facebook users, Larry Uche Ijeoma, and Ifeanyi Okali Fakzy, shared the same video, claiming an explosion had occurred in Cawthorne Channel, affecting twin flow stations with the caption, “An explosion occurred on Wednesday at the Cawthorne Channel in Rivers State, affecting twin flow stations near Bonny and Degema in Rivers State, a major oil and gas hub. Videos of the incident have surfaced online, but NNPC has yet to release an official statement.”
Ijeoma also add the hashtag#NigeriaExplosion with the video showing a passenger boat hovering near the fire incident and a passenger overheard talking over a radio phone.
Verification
A fact-check by SweetCrude Reports revealed that the viral video is actually an old clip from a February 19, 2025, explosion at Cawthorne Channel 1 in Iloamatoru, Bonny, which claimed three lives.
The original incident was previously reported by SweetCrude Reports on February 20th 2025 under the headline: “Explosion Destroys Oil Flow Stations at Cawthorne Channel Near Bonny.”
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) had confirmed the fire outbreak at Cawthorne Channel 1 in Rivers State, stating that the incident was swiftly contained with no casualties, however, three liveless bodies were washed ashore days later.
“The fire, which occurred at 14:10 hours on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, started on the dry crude storage barge BESTAF5 and spread to other barges, but did not affect flow station operations,” NNPC Ltd.’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, had said in a statement on February 20th 2025.
Further checks with community leaders, security personnel, and oil company officials confirmed that no new fire outbreak or explosion occurred at Cawthorne Channel on March 19, 2025.
When contacted, Wari-Alabo Bill Pollyn, Chief and Head of Pollyn House in Bonny Kingdom, owners of Iloamatoru community, stated, “I am not aware of any fresh fire incident in the area.”
Similarly, Daniel Pollyn, the immediate past Chairman of the Iloamatoru Security Surveillance Committee, dismissed the claim, “No such incident occurred anywhere around Cawthorne Channel on Wednesday.”
A local community member who identified himself only as Pollyn also confirmed, “There is no such incident here in our area. No flow station or facility is on fire or had any explosion today.”
Additionally, an official of an oil company operating in the area, speaking on condition of anonymity, told SweetCrude Reports that no such incident happened in the area.
“No incident has been recorded in any of our facilities. We have checked, and no such thing happened.”
Checks suggest that the old video was deliberately recirculated by individuals linked to political figures in Rivers State, possibly to justify President Bola Tinubu’s state of emergency declaration in the state.
Verdict
SweetCrude Reports confirms that the claim of fresh militant attacks on NNPC facilities in Cawthorne Channel is false and misleading.
The viral video is an old recording from February 2025 and has no connection to recent political developments in Rivers State.
