May God have mercy on us and save us from these plenty blasts.....
At least, seven persons were feared dead on Sunday when an explosion rocked the Port Harcourt Refinery Jetty in Okrika Local Government Area of Rivers State.
It was gathered that several persons were seriously injured as a result of the explosion, which was allegedly triggered by the activities of pipeline vandals and oil thieves.
The PUNCH learnt that suspected oil thieves had tampered with one of the pipelines close to the refinery with the intention of stealing petroleum products.
A source explained that the action of the oil thieves had ignited a deafening noise and a huge fire around the jetty, leaving not less than seven persons dead.
The Chairman of Okrika Local Government Area, Mr. Tamuno Williams, who spoke in a telephone interview with The PUNCH on Sunday, confirmed the incident, adding that oil thieves were siphoning petroleum products to the creeks.
Williams said the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, was negligent.
He explained that though nobody was allowed to enter the scene of the incident, oil thieves in connivance with PPMC were allegedly responsible for the explosion.
He said, “Such activities, such connection, such highly technical work, well constructed by experts, could not have been perfectly done without the connivance of the PPMC.
“From what I have been told, there are casualties. Seven persons were said to have lost their lives. When in Nigeria, you hear that seven persons died, it could be seven times seven times seven.”
“I don’t want to take issues with whoever is accusing who; whether it’s the PPMC or the vandals because I don’t want to say what I don’t know. The truth is that nemesis caught up with people that came to steal products. Their boat got exploded. I don’t know about the number of people that died, but on our own side, we have no casualty. I cannot speak on the thing that does not concern NNPC.”
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