A tragic incident occurred in Omoku, Ogba/Egebema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, where at least 25 individuals lost their lives following an explosion from an illegal oil tapping point. The explosion happened on Sunday morning after youths allegedly broke a pipeline belonging to a multinational oil company and began scooping fuel.
According to sources, the youths used jerrycans and buckets to collect fuel, and the explosion occurred as they were engaged in this illicit activity. While 25 people were feared dead, many others suffered varying degrees of burns and were receiving treatment in different hospitals in the area.
One source suggested that the inferno resulted from attempts by suspected oil thieves to light mosquito coils. The leaked fuel ignited, leading to the tragic incident. The chairman of the Niger Delta Youth Movement, ONELGA chapter, Emeka Ukwuosah, condemned the illegal oil bunkering and urged the youths to engage in more meaningful activities. He also called on security agencies to address the situation and advocated for the multinational oil companies to overhaul their aging facilities to prevent such incidents.
The Assistant Secretary of a vigilante group in the area, Onelga Security Peace Advisory Council, Emeka Agbabere, blamed the incident on illegal oil bunkering. He mentioned that despite repeated campaigns to stop the illegal activity, some youths paid no heed.
The police spokesperson for the state, Grace Iringe-Koko, promised to find out more details about the incident but had not provided information as of the time of reporting.
