100 burnt to death, vehicles razed in Imo illegal refinery explosion

By Chris Njoku, Owerri and Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt

No fewer than 100 persons, including a family of five, have been burnt beyond recognition by an explosion at an illegal oil refinery in a forest at Abaezi, Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State.

The incident, which saw the charred remains of many victims littering the ground, was said to have occurred at midnight on Friday.

The fire from the explosion was said to have spread very rapidly, consuming everything and everybody on its path at a time many buyers of the illegal products arrived in their vehicles.

It was gathered that the incident followed failed efforts by a leader of an anti-bunkering task force in the area to shut down the site.

A security source, who spoke in confidence, said the site was buzzing like a major market when a loud noise was immediately followed by a fire outbreak.

The source said: “It was one of the biggest illegal refinery sites in Rivers. It is located in a boundary between Rivers and Imo states.

“The place attracted many buyers of illegally refined products.  They were already there with their vehicles, waiting to load the products when an explosion occurred and the resultant fire spread rapidly and killed all of them.

“Many burnt bodies littered the ground while some who tried to climb trees for protection were burnt with their bodies hanging on tree branches.

“It was a major disaster.”

Besides the loss of many lives, property worth millions of naira was said to have been consumed by fire.

An eyewitness told one of our correspondents who visited the scene that the incident occurred around 11 pm last night, saying that residents of the area were woken up to the sight of a huge flame in the Abaezi forest.

“We saw the people that were inside crying and calling for help. None of them was seen coming out,” he said.

Another eyewitness said “people were also scared going close to the place where the fire was raging. But later when people eventually got there, they found out it was over hundred persons that were burnt while about 150 others who sustained serious burns were rushed into the village health centre for treatment.”

He, however, said that many of the victims were rejected by the health centre.

Speaking on the ugly development, the Imo State Commissioner for Petroleum Resources, Goodluck Opiah, representing Governor Hope Uzodimma on a visit to the scene, said the fire consumed the lives many youths.

“At the moment, I can’t really confirm the number of the deceased because many family members have removed the corpses of so many others,” Opiah said.

He said the owner of the illegal refinery identified as Okenze Onyewoke had been declared wanted by the state government.

He said: “Apart from this calamity, the act has destroyed the aquatic life of the community. Our people before now were predominantly farmers and fishermen.

“Look around, you will find smokes coming from the scene of this illegal act. If this is not enough for any person to stop, I think the community is heading for what I can’t describe.

“Most of the people who are engaging in this act are from Rivers, Bayelsa and other neigbouring states, and it is sabotage for our people to allow this illegal act to continue.

“I wish to appeal to our youths to desist from making themselves available for this illegal act. This is a suicidal business they got themselves into.

“On behalf of the Imo State Government, we commiserate with the bereaved families.

“Imo State Government prays God to grant the families of those who lost their lives the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) confirmed the incident saying the scene of horror was between Rivers and Imo states.

The Public Relations Officer of NSCDC, DSC Olufemi Ayodele, said: “The fire occurred in an illegal bunkering site situated at the boundary between Rivers State and Imo State, leading to the death of men, women and children in hundreds who were burnt beyond recognition at the early hours of Saturday 23rd April, 2022.

“The State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Rivers State Command, Abu Tambuwal, said the command condemns all act of sabotaging the economy of the nation, environmental degradation, fire outbreak through oil bunkering activities.

“He affirmed that the command under his watch will not leave any stone unturned in the fight against illegal dealings in petroleum products, oil theft and illegal bunkering activities.

“While commiserating with the families and loved ones of the bereaved, Tambuwal commended the efforts of the security agencies, the Nigerian Army, DSS, Nigeria Police and the NSCDC, who carried out emergency response, crowd control and adequate security in the environment to prevent nefarious activities by hoodlums.”

Also confirming the heavy casualty figure in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital yesterday, a non-government organisation (NGO), Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC), confirmed that more than 100 persons died at the site.

The Executive Director of YEAC, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, said that many vehicles that were waiting to buy the illegal products were also burnt.

He said: “Photographs and short videos sent to Advocacy Centre showed several dead bodies, most of them burnt beyond recognition on the ground with those of others who might have attempted to run from the fire and explosion hanging on some trees branches.”

Fineface recalled that a similar incident in Rumuekpe Community in Emohua Local Government Area of the state recently left more than 30 persons dead.

He said: “The advocacy centre calls on youths in the state to stop artisanal refineries and work with YEAC, which is also the National Facilitator of Project with Artisanal Crude Oil Refiners (PACOR) for Modular Refineries in the Niger Delta, to demand for the immediate establishment of Modular Refineries and the establishment of Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI), among others, as alternative livelihood opportunities for the youth.

“We also call on the Rivers State government to reactivate the Committee on alternative livelihood opportunities for artisanal refiners headed by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Ipalibo Banigo.

“It is worthy of note that with this and related massive loss of lives as a result of fire incidents and explosions from artisanal refining sites and products still happening in Rivers State that the Government’s war against artisanal refining in the state declared by the Governor on January 1, 2022 has failed to achieve its intended results.

“Besides, security operatives in Rivers State and the Niger Delta should go beyond policing to advising the government on ways of using the carrot and stick approach to address the problem of artisanal refining to save our environment, lives and revenue to government for socio-economic development of the Niger Delta and Nigeria at large”.