Rivers: Explosion at illegal fuel depot kills five

Rivers map

Five persons, including four women, have lost their lives following an explosion in a residential area in Omoku, headquarters of Ogba/EgbemaNdoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, on Saturday.

It was gathered that the blast was said to have occurred in one of the rooms in a residential area used for storing illegally refined petroleum products.

An environmentalist and executive director of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene, confirmed the incident in a statement on Saturday.

Dumnamene said the occupants usually buy illegally refined kerosene and other products, store them and resell them to members of the public.

While warning against pipeline vandalism and illegal refining, he called on the Federal Government to legalise modular refineries in the Niger region to forestall such unfortunate incidents.

The statement partly reads, “The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) has received and confirmed reports of an explosion and fire incident at a storage of illegally refined petroleum products in Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) of Rivers State.

“The inferno is said to have occurred in a house where people purchased and stored illegally refined petroleum products, including condensate, for resale in the area.

“Members of the Advocacy Centre youth volunteers network under the auspices of the One Million Youth Volunteers Network of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters in the Niger Delta in ONELGA told the Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, that the incident occurred in the late hours of Saturday, April 26 by about 11AM, killing five persons, four females and one male burnt beyond recognition.”

The environmentalist called for a thorough investigation into the incident and warned residents and youths against involvement in pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, artisanal refineries and trading in illegally refined petroleum products, including home storage, to avoid ugly incidents.