Page 11 - DMEA Week 10 2023

DMEA REFINING DMEA

Explosion near illegal

refinery site in Nigeria.

NIGERIA TWELVE people were killed in an explosion Nigeria has struggled to put an end to ille-
near an illegal oil refinery in Nigeria’s Niger Delta gal refining, while at least $3bn of crude oil is
last week according to a police report, although thought to have been stolen between January
local reports suggest the death toll is higher. 2021 and February 2022. Perpetrators often
Located in Emuoha Council area of the Southern avoid regulatory bodies by setting up operations
Rivers state, the incident occurred when illegal in remote locations, often neglecting to imple-
refinery operators attempted to steal oil from a ment safety regulations, leading to frequent
pipeline in the area, according to police spokes- incidents
person Grace Iringe-Koko.
She continued: “Preliminary investigation by NSCDC condemnation
police command indicates that the victims were Michael Ogar, the Rivers State commandant of
scooping crude products when the site caught the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps
fire … Five vehicles, four auto-rickshaws and a (NSCDC), condemned the incident and “the
motorcycle were all burned to ashes.” defiant behaviours of those engaging in artisanal
The executive director of Youths and Envi- refining in the community” shortly after assess-
ronmental Advocacy Centre, Fyneface Dumna- ing the scene of the incident.
mene, said that a spark from the exhaust pipe of Ogar added that the incident “should be a les-
a bus loaded with oil had ignited and exploded son to perpetrators of such dangerous activity.”
as the driver was departing. “Everybody in about According to the NSCDC, the fight against
five vehicles there was all burnt” he said. illegal oil refining in the area is still ongoing,
Bystanders attempted to rescue survivors, but and several refineries had been destroyed dur-
the explosion and following fire had been too ing its recent ‘anti-vandal operations’. The com-
big to mount a significant rescue. Victims in the mandant called for more co-operation between
explosion were mostly young, looking to siphon traditional institutions, opinion leaders and
and transport oil from the pipeline to the illegal respective stakeholders to end illegal oil refining
refinery nearby. activities in communities across Nigeria.™

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