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

8 Signs He will Never stop Loving You

You recognize your guy is a keeper, however the phrase ‘forever' nevertheless leaves you with doubts. men may be subtle of their approach at showing love, but there are eight clean symptoms that the man who will by no means stop loving you will show without you even understanding it. 1. he's absolutely committed To You And the relationship this does not imply he is there for only the best times, but he's there via all of the horrific as properly. He does not run out after a small fight or intentionally tear you aside along with his words. you're so critical to him and he could in no way permit some thing get inside the way of that. 2. He Does The Little matters that matter if you have a hectic day ahead of you, he tries to lighten the load with the aid of making the bed, cooking breakfast or losing the kiddos off at faculty due to the fact he is aware of that is what you need. He may not love doing away with the trash or folding the relaxation of the laundry fo...

5 ways to become more attractive to others

Feeling good about yourself makes you attractive to others. As you love yourself, life becomes less burdensome and relationships become easier and more spontaneous. You don’t spend your time second-guessing what others are thinking about you and where you stand in your various relationships. When you have an internal sturdiness deep within your core, you smoothly adapt to the inevitable ups and downs that come with relationships. Here are five ways anyone can make themselves more attractive in relationships. 1. Don’t take yourself so seriously. You do not have to be perfect to have solid relationships and love in your life. In fact, it’s being imperfect that puts people at ease. There is a kind of intimacy that takes hold, a sense that you can be open with this person because they are being open with you. Of course, it’s important to connect with supportive and non-toxic people. Generally speaking though, most of the time and with most people, the negative sentiments others ...

Nigerian Rapper dies 2 years after releasing the song "if I die young"

Nigerian rapper, Eche Victor otherwise known has Rappon has passed away weeks after releasing a song titled "if I die young." The musician died after suffering from one illness to the other. The Enugu based rapper died two days ago of an unknown ailment and has since been buried in his hometown. His last post on Facebook dated March 10, 2018 reads, 'Its being a challenging year for me, from one illness to another but i know God got me. Am getting back on my feet and the hustle continues'. The fast rising rapper is mainly known on social media for his May 2015 rap cover to "If I Die Young", a song originally released by American country music group "The Band Perry" Lotanna Kacey Akachukwu wrote: "RIP Rappon. My blood. Your memories still remains fresh in my heart. We had a short stay together but feels like decades. *sad* I can remember I snapped this picture of you back then in ASO ROCK lodge. God knows best." Another friend, Earldon...

NIGERIAN SENATE REJECTS BUHARI'S CHOICE FOR INEC REC JOB

One of the three nominees for the position of Resident electoral commisioner,  Ahmed Mahmud, screened by the Senate on Thursday was rejected. His name was  included in a list of nominees President Muhammadu Buhari forwarded to the Senate for approval.  Senator Sulieman Nazif, representing Bauchi north, led the opposition against Mahmud. Nazif told his colleagues that Mahmud did not have the backing of his state governor, Abdullaziz Yari, and some stakeholders. However, two other nominees sailed through the screening process. They are Rufus Akeju and Mahmud Isah, who were nominated as the RECs representing Lagos state and Kebbi state respectively.

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...

JAMB POSTPONES THE SALE OF 2018 UTME FORMS

The spokes man of  Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, Fabian Benjamin saus JAMB has suspended the sale of the 2018 application forms earlier scheduled to commence on Wednesday, November 22. He said this Tuesday evening in a press statement. He noted that the postponement was due to the delay in meeting the agreed deadline by the publisher of the compulsory reading text meant for prospective candidates for the 2018 UTME. The board said the publisher had promised to deliver all the texts on or before the  7th of November 2017. “As at close of work today, the publisher had not provided the 1.8 million copies required and this development painfully forced to the Board to shift the date from Wednesday 22nd November, 2017 to a date to be announced soon. ”JAMB regrets all inconvenience occasioned by this postponement as it is working round the clock to announce a new date soon”, the He said.  Candidates are urged by the board to visit its website to fa...

BREAKING: Buhari Declares to Run for President 2019

President Muhammadu Buhari has declared the intention to run for the second term after months of speculation. The President said this on Monday at a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership. The national publicity secretary of the APC, Bolaji Abdullahi and the Chief Whip, House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado Doguwa confirmed this while addressing journalists in Abuja after the NEC meeting. The NEC meeting is attended by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara and other APC governors. Special adviser to the President on New media and engagement, Bashir Ahmad in a tweet on his official handle @BashirAhmaad also confirmed the President’s declaration. “President Muhammadu Buhari has just officially announced his intention to seek re-election in 2019. Details soon…” his tweet read. Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai also in...