Skip to main content

OVER 20 PEOPLE DIE FROM FIRE EXPLOSION AT AN ILLEGAL OIL REFINERY IN BAYELSA


20 people  at least have reportedly been killed at an illegal refinery at Kolo Creek in the Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and many others were said to have suffered varying degrees of buruns due to the explosion

It was alleged that te JTF, Operation Delta Safe, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, security outfits directly in charge of checking illegal bunkering, pipeline vandalism and illegal refineries, have had knowledge of the camp but allegedly failed to stop its operation ever since.

According to reports, tragedy struck in the camp near the creeks of Ebelebiri and Otuogwe when it exploded on December 5, 2017 and went up in flames. Community sources claimed that an attempt by a woman in the camp to cook noodles, using a stove, sparked the fire that caused the havoc.  

An eyewitness described it as tragic, unspeakable and avoidable.  “When we got there, I almost vomited. I saw charred remains of people. They were burnt beyond recognition. In some cases, you could only see heads and feet of victims. Despite the burnt bodies, we still met people illegally cooking crude oil there. We thought that security agencies, especially the military, would have taken over the place, but we didn’t meet any security operatives. We only met people who were still refining illegally bunkered crude oil. It was that bad and terrible.”  

It was gathered that the camp, allegedly owned by a powerful cartel, had been in operation for a long time. Investigation, however, revealed that the state police command had earlier appealed to security agencies in charge of oil theft, especially the NSCDC and the JTF, to clamp down on the site and arrest the operators.  A police source told newsmen that the Commissioner of Police uncovered the existence of the camp through intelligence gathering and warned of dire consequences.

The source said the commissioner had, in September, allegedly dispatched a letter to security commanders in charge of oil theft, appealing to them to treat the matter with urgency.  He quoted some parts of the letter as saying, “Information gathered revealed that the presence of ongoing illegal refining of petroleum products such as kerosene, diesel at Ebelebiri and Otuogwe, two communities in the Ogbia LGA of Bayelsa State, under the Kolo jurisdiction.  “The activities of these criminals constitute economic sabotage to the nation as well as endangering lives and properties as explosion on this pipeline may lead to disaster”. He said

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

TOP 7 Richest People in the World 2018

7. AMANCIO ORTEGA Richest People - Amancio Ortega Net Worth: $70.5 Billion Amancio Ortega is a Spanish entrepreneur and founder of the Inditex fashion group. Inditex owns Zara, and Zara is one of the most popular clothing chains worldwide. Ortega recently dropped down to the 7th richest man in the world, after other players on the list have been making some serious moves. He’s also lost over $11 billion from his net worth in recent months. 6. CARLOS SLIM HELU Richest People - Carlos Slim Helu Net Worth: $70.5 Billion Carlos Slim Helu is a Mexican businessman and investor; owner of the conglomerate ‘Grupo Carso’. The conglomerate’s portfolio consists of brands in many different industries, such as health care, media, energy, real estate and retail. Carlos is 6th on this list of the richest people in the world, with a net worth of $70.5 billion. In recent months, Carlos Slim has lost almost $6 billion from his net worth, and dropped from 4th to 6th. 5...

5 Important things to discuss with your fiancee ever before Marriage

Marriage is a lifelong commitment and as such, must be carefully planned and prepared for. It’s so easy to get carried away with the preparations, aso ebi and party planning, and forget what actually matters, the marriage you’re trying to build , No matter how many butterflies your fiancé gives you before you get married, some of them will disappear during marriage. This is not a curse, it’s just a statement of fact. The kind of love that builds a marriage goes beyond Telemundo and R and B. It takes real work and real commitment. And that work must start before the wedding. To avoid arguing with your spouse daily and feeling like you are married to a stranger, both of you need to lay out some ground rules while you are still engaged to ensure that you two have the same vision and expectations for your marriage. 5 things to discuss before marriage 1. Accommodation You need to first sort out where you will live and start your family before your wedding day...

Tiptop Furbishing: Home of superb window Blinds

Give your homes and offices the classy looks they deserve with Tiptop Window blinds. Blinds add style and class to your windows, they are beautiful, convenient and yet affordable. At tiptop furbishing we deal on all kinds of blinds * Aluminum Venetian Blinds * Wooden Blinds *  Fabric Blinds * Horizontal Blinds * Wall Papers * Day and Nights...etc Contact us to make your choices and book for your beautiful Blinds at our various offices: HEAD OFFICE: no 58 Ogbunabali Road, Port Harcourt Rivers State. BRANCH OFFICE:no 178 Ahoada Road opposite Salvation Ministries OMOKU Call or WhatsApp: 08068836225 08117215245 EMAIL: tiptopfurbishing@gmail.com Tiptop Furbishing: Home of Superb Window Blinds and Wall Papers

Mohamed Sallah Makes Real Madrid Decision

Mohamed Salah has no interest in joining Real Madrid this summer, reports in Spain claim. Salah had a sensational season under Jurgen Klopp this year, with the Egypt international netting 44 goals in all competitions. The former Chelsea ace has been tipped to leave Anfield this summer, despite only joining the Reds last year. Real Madrid and Barcelona are chasing the 25-year-old, who won the Premier League Golden Boot this season. However, according to Spanish outlet Diario Gol, Salah will not join Real this summer. They say the Egypt star has no intention of heading to the Bernabeu. Diario Gol add that Salah has not forgiven Real captain Sergio Ramos for injuring him in the Champions League final last month - and the winger wants revenge.

5 Things Women Love More than 6 Packs

Many men have always been made to believe that women see them as attractive with how well built their bodies are, which has never been true. Ladies have their different ideas of what makes a man attractive. Men can be attractive in other many ways. Depending on which type of a woman you are dating, here are five things that will make a man attractive other than physical attributes  Like Handsomeness and 6-pack 1. GOOD MANNERS. There are many things that could tell people about your manners. Men with good manner are attractive in our today’s world. A well-mannered man is a sure bet in life, who will never hurt his woman knowingly. This is the type of man every woman wants to be with.  2. PURPOSE . Life is always about having a purpose. This will simply mean you have direction in your life. having a purpose is the best thing every woman wants in her man since she is sure of a good life tomorrow. Have a business, a project or some work you do for a living. Th...

MTN to Sell 30% of its Nigerian Company proposes $500b IPO on NSE

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday confirmed that MTN Group had finally commenced discussions with the commission on its proposed 500 million dollars Initial Public Offering (IPO). A senior management staff of SEC who pleaded anonymity told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that MTN had commenced discussion with the commission on the IPO. The source told NAN that although talks were ongoing, the company was yet to formally file its application for the IPO. He said the commission was committed to investors’ protection, and that their interest would be protected in the ongoing discussion. The source said SEC would remain committed to the development of the nation’s capital market and listing of more multinationals. Another source at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), who declined to be mentioned, also told NAN that the NSE had not yet received an official filing from the company. There were reports recently that MTN Group Ltd. was perfe...

Mark Zuckerberg to Become World 3rd Richest Man

Facebook Inc. co-founder Mark Zuckerberg is poised to leapfrog Warren Buffett to become the world’s third-richest person. Zuckerberg, more than a half-century younger than the Berkshire Hathaway Inc. chairman, is now worth US$81.3 billion, gaining US$8.5 billion this year as Facebook shook off a data-privacy crisis that caused its stock to tumble 18 per cent. Its rebound from a closing low of US$152.22 on March 27 to a record US$201.45 at 9:45 a.m. Wednesday in New York narrowed the gap with Buffett to US$725 million, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The recovery in Facebook shares has rewarded other insiders as well, including Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, who’s now worth US$1.8 billion, and Chief Technology Officer Michael Schroepfer, whose 0.05 per cent holding is valued at US$224 million. Zuckerberg, 34,  also trails Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest person with a US$143.6 billion fortune through Tuesday, and M...