5 Killed As Explosion Rocks Illegal Petroleum Storage In Rivers

Five persons have been killed following an explosion that occurred at a facility where illegally refined petroleum products were stored at Omoku in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of Rivers State.

The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Sunday morning, said the incident occured on Saturday morning.

The statement, which was signed by YEAC-Nigeria President, Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, said the victims were four women and one man, who were burnt beyond recognition.

It read in part: “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 YEAC-Nigeria that the incident occurred in the late hours of Saturday, April 26 by about 11:00AM, killing five persons, four females and one male burnt beyond recognition.

“While calling for investigation into the incident, the Advocacy Centre warns 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 of this nature.

“The group also used the opportunity to renew its call on the federal government to legalise artisanal refineries in the Niger Delta through the establishment of its July 27, 2020 proposed Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI) and/or Modular Refineries for artisanal Refiners in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region to mitigate incidents of this nature.”