Tragedy struck on Saturday in Omoku, the administrative center of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, where an explosion at a residential building claimed the lives of five individuals, four of whom were women.
Findings revealed that the explosion originated from a room within the building used to stockpile illegally refined petroleum products.
Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene, environmental advocate and Executive Director of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria), confirmed the incident in a statement issued the same day.
Dumnamene explained that residents in the area often purchase and store adulterated kerosene and other illegal petroleum products for resale. He decried the dangers of such practices and called on the Federal Government to legalise modular refineries in the Niger Delta to curb similar incidents.
Part of the statement read, “YEAC-Nigeria has received reports of a fire outbreak resulting from the storage of illegally refined petroleum products in Omoku. According to local youth volunteers, the incident, which occurred around 11 a.m. on April 26, led to the death of five individuals, including four women and one man, all burned beyond recognition.”
The environmentalist urged authorities to thoroughly investigate the explosion and cautioned locals, particularly young people, against participating in oil theft, illegal refining, and unsafe storage of petroleum products.
He also reiterated the Centre’s appeal for the government to implement the proposed Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI) or approve modular refineries as a safer alternative for artisanal refiners in the region.
Confirming the development, the spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, noted that investigations are ongoing.
According to Iringe-Koko, the fire was triggered when a resident used a cooking stove to prepare noodles inside the storage area, causing the stored products to ignite. She added that one of the deceased was a woman who had come to purchase the illegal product.
