The inferno, which occurred around 11am, completely razed the affected building, leaving four women and a man burnt beyond recognition.
Omoku, Nigeria – Tragedy struck on Saturday in Omoku, Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, as five persons lost their lives following an explosion at a store allegedly harbouring illegally refined petroleum products.
The inferno, which occurred around 11am, completely razed the affected building, leaving four women and a man burnt beyond recognition. The incident was reported by members of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) volunteer network under the One Million Youth Volunteers Network of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters in the Niger Delta.
Confirming the incident, the Executive Director of YEAC-Nigeria, Dr. Fyneface Fyneface, said the fire originated from a house where illegally refined petroleum products, including condensate, were stored for resale within the community.
Dr. Fyneface called for a thorough investigation into the tragic occurrence and cautioned residents, particularly youths, against engaging in crude oil theft, artisanal refining, pipeline vandalism, and the storage of illegal petroleum products.
He further reiterated his appeal to the Federal Government to implement the Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative (PACORDI), proposed on July 27, 2020. According to him, legalising and regulating artisanal refining through modular refineries could help curb such disasters in the Niger Delta region.
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