Tragedy Strikes as Illegal Oil Refinery Explosion Claims Lives in Nigeria
In a heart-wrenching incident, a devastating explosion and fire tore through an illicit oil refinery in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region, resulting in the loss of at least 15 lives, including that of a pregnant woman. The calamity unfolded on Monday, sending shockwaves throughout the Emohua district of southern River state, a known hotspot for these underground refineries.
Illegal refineries have long plagued this region, but this catastrophe has left the community in mourning. The exact details of the incident remain undisclosed, as authorities have not yet provided a comprehensive account. However, locals have shared the grim reality – many of the victims were employed at the unregulated refinery nestled in the village of Rumucholu.
Residents of the area are bracing themselves for a rising death toll, as some of the bodies were severely burned, and dozens of individuals sustained injuries. The tragedy spotlights the dangerous practices involved in these makeshift facilities, where individuals extract oil from vandalized pipelines and then refine it on-site.
Chima Avadi, a local activist, shed light on the perilous process, stating, “When they scoop from the point where they vandalized the pipe, they will take it to where they were cooking. That is how fire got there.”
The aftermath of the explosion has overwhelmed the local healthcare system, with dozens of patients now receiving treatment in hospitals. Tragically, among the 15 confirmed fatalities, there was a pregnant woman, a somber reality revealed by the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, a local environmental rights group.
Explosions at these locally-run refineries have regrettably become a common occurrence in the Niger Delta region. It’s a place abundant in oil but often marked by poverty, where oil facilities remain prime targets for chronic oil theft.
Unscrupulous operators regularly circumvent regulations by establishing refineries in remote, hard-to-reach areas. Safety standards at these sites are seldom adhered to, leading to recurrent infernos. Last year, such a tragedy unfolded in Imo state, claiming the lives of more than 100 people.
“The money they make from there in one or two days is more than what a civil servant can make in a year,” laments Fyneface Dumnamene, the Executive Director of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre. His group has fervently pushed for environmental reforms and an end to these illicit activities. Yet, in the face of mounting economic hardships in Nigeria, people continue to seek opportunities to make ends meet.
In a startling revelation, it was disclosed that Nigeria lost at least $3 billion worth of crude oil to theft between January 2021 and February 2022, as reported by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission last year.
Despite being one of Africa’s leading oil producers, the communities in the Niger Delta region find themselves lacking basic amenities and feeling abandoned by the government. This incident serves as a grim reminder of the dire need for both safety and economic reforms in the region.