By: Tony John, Port Harcourt
A gas explosion at an illegal petroleum refining storage site in Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA), Rivers State, killed five people—four females and one male—on Saturday, April 26.
The blast occurred at a retail outlet, leaving the victims burnt beyond recognition, according to reports.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) confirmed the explosion, which also destroyed the mini-depot. The group stated that the incident happened in a house used for purchasing and storing illegally refined petroleum products, including condensate, for resale.
YEAC-Nigeria’s Executive Director, Dr Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, was informed by members of the One Million Youth Volunteers Network of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters in the Niger Delta in ONELGA that the explosion occurred late on Saturday.
YEAC-Nigeria called for a thorough investigation and urged residents and youths to avoid pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft, artisanal refineries, and trading or storing illegally refined petroleum products to prevent such tragedies.
The group renewed its call for the federal government to legalise artisanal refineries through its proposed Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI) or modular refineries in the Niger Delta, as outlined on 27 July 2020, to reduce such incidents.