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WORLD NEWS Monday 25 april 2022

Manhunt on for suspects as 100 die in Nigeria refinery blast

By CHINEDU ASADU Nigerian ministry of petro-
Associated Press leum told The AP there is "a
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — At renewed action" to tackle
least 100 people may have illegal activities in the oil
died in an explosion at an sector.
illegal oil refinery in south- The government and the
east Nigeria, a local oil of- military are stepping up ac-
ficial said Sunday as the tions "to minimize the crimi-
search intensified for bod- nalities along the oil pro-
ies at the site and for two duction lines," said Horatius
people suspected of being Egua, a senior official at the
involved in the blast. petroleum ministry.
Nigerian President Muham- But many of the culprits are
madu Buhari, in a state- not deterred including in
ment, called the explosion Imo state, one of the few
a "catastrophe and a na- places producing oil in Ni-
tional disaster." geria's southeast. The prob-
The explosion Friday night lem of illegal refineries "has
at the facility in Ohaji-Egbe- never been this bad" and
ma local government area remains "difficult to end,"
in Imo state was triggered said Opiah, the Imo petro-
by a fire at two fuel storage leum commissioner.
areas where more than 100 "It is like asking why kidnap-
people worked, state of- ping or armed robbery has
ficials told The Associated People gather Saturday April 23, 2022 at the site of an explosion that took place the day before not stopped," he said. "Even
Press. at an illegal oil refinery in Ohaji-Egbema local government area in Imo state, southeast Nigeria. with this incident, not many
Dozens of workers were Associated Press people will be deterred. I
caught up in the explosion am sure more illegal refin-
while many others attempt- oil, for many years its oil looking for them," said De- lions of young people into eries will be cropping up in
ed to escape the blaze by production capacity has clan Emelumba, the Imo criminal activities. other places."q
running into wooded areas. been limited by a chronic State commissioner for in- Operating illegal refiner-
Niger Delta region, where ARUBA
Those who died in the di- challenge of oil storage formation. Officials did not ies is not as popular in Imo
saster are estimated to be and the operation of illegal reveal the identities of the state as it is in the oil-rich
within "the range of 100," refineries. suspects.
said Goodluck Opiah, the Nigeria lost at least $3 billion A mass burial is being militants have gained no- CLEAN
Imo commissioner for pe- worth of crude oil to theft planned for those killed in toriety for blowing up oil
troleum resources. "A lot of between January 2021 and the explosion, many of who pipelines and kidnapping
them ran into the bush with February 2022, with shady "were burnt beyond recog- workers from petroleum
the burns and they died business operators often nition," said Emelumba. En- companies.
there." avoiding regulators by set- vironmental officials have As many as 30 illegal oil
Buhari has directed the na- ting up refineries in remote started to fumigate the refineries were busted in
tion's security forces "to in- areas such as the one that area. the Niger Delta region in
tensify the clampdown" on exploded in Imo, the Nige- Such disasters are a regular just two weeks, Nigeria's
such facilities being operat- rian Upstream Petroleum occurrence in Africa's most Defense Department said
ed illegally in many parts of Regulatory Commission populous country, where earlier this month when it
southern Nigeria, a spokes- (NUPRC) said in March. poverty and unemploy- announced a task force to
person said in a statement. "There are no arrests yet ment – at 33% according to curb crude oil theft. IS MORE
Although Nigeria is Africa's but the two culprits are on the latest government es- In the aftermath of the ex- DUSHI
largest producer of crude the run with the police now timates – have forced mil- plosion in Imo state, the